Beauty and the Bat
by Otaku786
Summary: After a failed lab experiment, miniaturized Ulquiorra and Grimmjow are now in the care of Orihime.While Ulquiorra tries to explain his feelings, Grimmjow keeps getting in the way! What mischief do the two cause? What adventures in kawaiiness occur? HIATUS
1. A Failed Experiment

**Lost and Found**

**Prologue: Another Failed Experiment**

**A/N: **After reading _BlumberBerry_'s "Miniature Murcielago", I just had to write something with mini-Ulquiorra-kawaiiness. Just a quick note, this story doesn't quite follow the anime. Instead of being trapped in Hueco Mundo while Aizen and the others went to Fake-Karakura, the Captains are able to contact the soul society and have a portal opened. Aizen hasn't appeared in the 'Real World' yet. Don't worry; the story will tie back into Tite Kubo's plot—somewhat—a little later on.

**Disclaimer:** Tite Kubo owns _Bleach_. I just had the inspiration to write this. Hope you enjoy anyway!

* * *

"Quickly, Nemu! I have no time for your insubordinate slowness!"

"Yes Kurotsuchi-sama." The pale girl with a dark braid nodded solemnly. But she couldn't go any faster. She was already right on her master's heels.

The tall man hadn't even heard himself talk. It was an automatic command. His mind was somewhere else; therefore he didn't bother to look back at his lieutenant to see if she'd followed the order. Nemu tightened her grip on the container in her hands.

The two briskly made their way through the halls of the 12th Division. Even though many of the Shinigami were bustling about, they all somehow managed to press against the wall to get out of their Captain's way. It was as if his massive spiritual pressure formed an invisible barrier around himself and Nemu, who was right behind him. Knowing the mad-scientist and his inventions, he'd probably done just that.

_BANG!_

The man threw open the double doors to his lab after making his way down more hallways and descending seemingly-endless flights of stairs.

"Kurotsuchi-taicho!"

"Did you do as I told you?" the man demanded. His golden eyes were wide and menacing. His skin appeared to be painted: snow white with black on his face. Large golden teeth stood out against the black painted down the middle of his face. His long blue hair was styled into a horn-looking headdress, reaching over and past his shoulders. A golden head ornament framed his face. His white haori with the Japanese character for _12_ on the back billowed out around him, making him seem even bigger as he loomed over his poor subordinate. This was Mayuri Kurotsuchi; Captain of Squad 12 and current President of the Research and Development Department in the Gotei 13.

"H-hai, taicho." The young soul reaper answered. Even if Kurotsuchi was his captain, the boy was afraid. 'Who wouldn't be?'

"Good." Kurotsuchi replied. He brushed past the frozen Shinigami. "Now get out of my sight."

After a moment taken to get his legs to work again, the small soul reaper bowed and scurried past Nemu, out of the lab.

"All of you," Kurotsuchi rounded of the hesitating group of soul reapers who were tending to his latest experiments. "Get out! I have important business to attend to in too little time."

"Hai, Kurotsuchi-taicho!" they chorused. They left in a hurried mob.

"Nemu!"

"Hai." Nemu Kurotsuchi—Mayuri's 'daughter'—already knew what to do. As 12th Division's Fuku-taicho and assistant head of the Research Department, she knew to do things without him telling her. After all, he had programmed her.

While Kurotsuchi sat in his large chair in front of his many large monitors, typing away at his large keyboard, Nemu set to work as well. She set the box in her hands down gently on a lab counter. She released the Binding Spell placed on the box and lifted the lid. Slipping on her standard face mask, Nemu pulled out a small, dark plastic bag. It was a small shifty weight in her hands, like holding a bag of sand. 'Ironically,' she thought, 'that's some of what this bag's contents are.'

Nemu briefly wondered if this experiment would actually work, considering the extremely limited amount of time they had to work with. She felt a twinge of pity for the new victim. But Nemu knew better than to question her master's wishes. She learned the hard way the last time Kurotsuchi took her apart.

"Nemu, hurry up!" Kurotsuchi ordered. He didn't even look over his shoulder though, and Nemu was slightly relieved her hadn't really caught her in a daze. The continuous clicking of Mayuri's black finger nails on the keys seemed loud in the room.

"Hai."

A short while later, Nemu was hurrying noiselessly around the room; following her captain's instructions. Beakers of different concoctions lined the counter tops. Machines were beeping in anticipation. Glinting observation tools sat, unmoved since their time of usefulness had been completed. Kurotsuchi's eyes were wide as his mind captured and calculated every bit of information flashing across the big screen in front of him.

And in the middle of the organized chaos, a metal tray sat, waiting on a, observation table. On it were the contents of the black plastic bag: a mixture of strange sand with an even stranger ash-substance. All 'souvenirs' from the Captain and Vice-Captain's trip to Hueco Mundo.

"That's it!" Kurotsuchi cried, throwing his hands up suddenly and rolling back slightly in his chair. "It's so simple. I can't believe I didn't figure it out until now!"

Nemu stood frozen, awaiting whatever orders she knew her master would give her next.

"Nemu, prepare the Reiatsu Manifester and DNA Manipulation Chamber." Mayuri ordered his assistant as he stood up.

While Nemu began to mix formulas for said machines, the 12th Division stormed over to the tray of ash. He picked up the tray carefully. "Nemu!"

"Preparations complete, Kurotsuchi-sama."

"Che." Mayuri walked the tray over to the Manifester, a large, complicated thing like everything else in the lab, and dumped the contents of the tray. The ash and sand made a _swish_ing sound as it disappeared into the darkness.

After a long while, the ash/sand and its duplicated molecules were moved to the Manipulation Chamber. The stuff swirled around in the crimson, reiatsu-rich serum, like a black tornado under water. Finally, the molecules began to attract one another, taking on a shaped form.

'It's actually working.' Nemu thought in shock as the shape shifted and molded itself in the blood-looking liquid.

"I can't believe that actually worked." Mayuri admitted thoughtfully aloud. "I never thought it would work with an _Espada _ranked hollow. I guess the Hougyoku's power made it easy to do, since arrancar have some Shinigami reiatsu, therefore making one vulnerable to my equipment." He chuckled evilly to himself, please by his own genius.

Nemu was quiet. Her green eyes were locked on the large, transparent chamber. Minutes ticked by, Mayuri still muttering in amusement to himself about how he'd have to get another specimen to test on. After what seemed like an eternity (but was really until the next morning), the thing in the tank condensed into a small black form.

"WHAT THE HELL!"

Nemu jerked awake by the sudden outburst. She'd fallen asleep leaning against a counter. How she slept in that position could have only been a feature Mayuri added while creating her. Or not.

The dark-purple haired Soul Reaper stood up straight and looked to where her master stood in shock. His mouth was slightly ajar, his bright yellow eyes staring straight ahead. Nemu followed his gaze and her own dark green eyes widened a little. They were looking at the large tank that now contained green liquid instead of red.

The shapeless black form of ash was gone. In its place was a small, much more defined form. Taking a few steps forward, Nemu discovered it looked like a bat. The black winds were curled around the main body like a cocoon, so she couldn't really tell what it was.

'It has wings like a bat…it's small like a bat…but…it's not a bat…?'

"Nemu, what is this?" Kurotsuchi turned on his lieutenant accusingly.

"I don't know, sir." Nemu answered calmly. Her dark, slightly parted bangs reached down her forehead. Her short black kimono with puffed upper-sleeves was tied with a traditional white obi and a red cord-fastening. She wore a matching red choker and a melancholic expression. The 12th Division's Lieutenant Badge was tied around her left bicep, and on her hands she wore white gloves that only covered the backs of her hands and wrists. Nemu's skin was flawless: the prideful work of her father/ creator. The face mask she used hours before hung from her neck.

"What do you mean you 'don't know'," Mayuri brought up his hand to strike her. "You worthless failure of an experiment!"

But Nemu was already out of his reach. In a blink she was on the other side of the room near a big printing machine. Readings were spitting out on a long, endless roll of charts that Nemu scanned as she caught the paper.

"The vitals appear to be normal." Nemu said. "Brain activity should be commencing momentarily."

"I don't care if the damned thing can think!" Mayuri shouted, coming towards Nemu. "How are we supposed to use Aizen's own weapon against him with this mere trash!"

'_Trash…a voice…just said…trash…'_

Nemu remained quiet as Mayuri snatched the graphs out of her hands.

"I knew the sample was too small." The 12th Captain declared. "I'll just have to go back and get another."

"Yes, Kurotsuchi-sama." Nemu said, about to follow her creator out the door when he spun around to face her.

"Not _you _Nemu." He said. He pointed at the tank holding the bat-thing. "You stay here and clean up this mess. I want that failure destroyed by the time I get back!"

'_Failure…'_

Nemu expertly hid her cringe until Mayuri was gone. Then she sighed and turned, slowly approaching the Chamber. She put her right hand one the glass, tracing it down so it looked as if she were touching the creature.

'The poor thing…' Nemu thought. Although she rarely showed emotion, she had a deep compassion for living things and always regretted killing. She wouldn't dare tell Mayuri this, but she wished he would be kinder towards his test subjects. It didn't seem fair to kill them just because his experiments didn't have the desirable results. Perhaps Nemu felt closer to the experiments because she herself had been one.

'But I must do as Mayuri-sama says…' Nemu sighed.

While Nemu stood there gazing at the tank in a daze, emerald green eyes cracked open.

'Where…where am I?'

Two bat wings began to uncurl, allowing the small orbs to sleepily take in their surroundings. The creature discovered he was floating in a liquid whose color was similar to that of his eyes. This didn't register though. The creature just thought, 'this color is familiar…'

Then, so far away, the creature could hazily make out a pale hand. With no way of knowing the hand pressed against the glass belonged to Nemu (the creature didn't even realize it was in a tank yet), the creature's mind thought only one familiar word. Although it didn't know at first why the word was so significant.

'Orihime…'

* * *

**A/N: **Okay, I know the characters might be a little OOC, and a lot of you might be bored or confused. Sorry. But I had to write this kind of sort of like a foundation for the story. Hence the term: "prologue".

What do you guys think? Should I continue? The actual first chapter should be more interesting.


	2. Awakening

**Beauty and the Bat**

**Step 1: Awakening**

**A/N: **I actually have no idea how this story will turn out. Hopefully it'll be good. I just hate it: I always have this mega-inspiration, write on it, but can't think ahead for an ending to save my life. Oh well. Anyway, yay Chapter 1 up! See, I was like, "Ok Tite Kubo. You want to tell readers how Ulquiorra turned into ashes taken by the wind? Fine. I'll just tell readers what happened _after_ that!"

**Disclaimer: **Tite Kubo owns _Bleach_. I also do not own the lyrics posted in each chapter. Any of you know who does? See if you can figure out the name of each song a lyric is taken from!

* * *

_*~UlquixHime~*_

_~My hands are searching for you. My arms are outstretched towards you. I feel you on my fingertips; my tongue dances behind my lips for you…~

* * *

_

'Orihime…'

The pair of emerald green eyes suddenly flew fully open. Searching. The last thing he remembered was a hand- frail from captivity- reaching out to him. He'd gazed into the owner's sad, grey eyes. His own eyes had portrayed some emotion he'd never experienced before.

"I'm not afraid."

Her voice. The creature remembered the female's voice as clearly as if she'd just spoken. The creature felt an odd sort of tugging in his chest. 'And then…what happened?' he tried to remember. But all he could think of was darkness. 'Oh yes…and then…I died…but then…where am I now?'

The creature stretched, discovering that he could move all six limbs, but only sluggishly in the liquid. Six limbs? 'That's right…' he recalled. 'I had to use Segunda Etapa…fighting that orange-haired boy…Ichigo Kurosaki…'

Meanwhile, Nemu's dark green eyes widened, staring at the creature, which had begun to move. Now that the black wings were stretched, she saw that the thing wasn't a bat at all. At least, not completely. He looked half human-half bat. He had large black wings and a long, whip-like black tail. Something like black fur covered him from the waist down, his feet looking kind of like black talons. The same black fur stuff covered his arms, starting at his biceps, down to his finger tips which had grown claw-like extensions. His pale white, perfectly chiseled chest was punctured with a larger than average hollow-hole just below his neck, marking him for what he was. A hollow.

But not just any hollow. This one had been put through a process involving a certain, dangerously powerful artifact: the Hougyoku. The result was a much more powerful level of hollow: an arrancar. And not just any arrancar, but the fourth of the ten most powerful, known as Espada. This was Cuatro Espada; Ulquiorra Schiffer.

Nemu calculated all of this, including the tall horns adorning his head and thick, black, tear-like markings on his face. His hollow-hole seemed to be oozing the black fur that ran down his abs. 'So this is an Espada's released form.' She thought to herself.

'What is this?' Ulquiorra wondered, observing the green liquid he was floating in. Taking in his surrounding's, Ulquiorra spotted the hand he's first noticed. His body seemed to move on its own as he swam toward it. 'Orihime,' a voice in the back of his mind said. Ulquiorra felt that tugging inside him again, but he forgot about it as soon as he neared the hand. He was slightly startled, though he didn't show it, that the hand was as big as he was.

Hesitantly but curiously, Ulquiorra reached out to touch the hand. His own, small fur covered one, met glass. 'What…what is this?' he thought once again. That's when his mind finally registered the bigger picture. He was in a tank of some kind.

Immediately enraged and still confused, Ulquiorra began banging on the glass. His movement was slow, thanks to the liquid he was still floating in, and his small fist didn't make a significant thump besides.

But Nemu heard it. Surprised, she blinked, coming out of her day dream. 'Where did it go?' Nemu glanced down to where she saw the flash of black in the tank. There he was, banging pathetically on the glass where her hand was, on the inside. Nemu moved her hand and bent down to see the mini-Espada at eye level.

Ulquiorra was confused when the hand disappeared, a large dark green eye taking its place. The flapping of his wings slowed in the liquid, Ulquiorra backed away from the glass. His emerald green eyes were wide. 'What _is_ that!'

Nemu and Ulquiorra's green eyes met. Ulquiorra's lips parted in shock, which was considered a full jaw-drop in Ulquiorra-terms. He couldn't clearly see the eye behind his own reflection in the glass, but he was still surprised.

"You're awake." Nemu said, with an uncharacteristic mix of delight and sorrow. She was happy because the experiment had actually worked, but regretful because she was now in charge of killing it. All because the would-be weapon turned out to be only the size of her hand.

Nemu reached over to press a button on the side of the machine. The green liquid began to disappear into various tiny drains built into the tank. Ulquiorra didn't realize it until he found himself kneeling on the platform of the tank. He was dripping in the residue of the liquid that had been boosting his spiritual pressure during his revival. Now that it was gone, Ulquiorra felt dizzyingly weak.

With the press of a different button, Nemu lifted the glass of the tank. She knelt down before Ulquiorra, watching him with eyes that tried to be emotionless, but betrayed some concern. The arrancar was gripping his head with one hand, trying to keep the world from spinning.

"The vertigo should wear off momentarily."

Ulquiorra stiffened at the female voice. 'Orihime?' No…this was a different woman's voice. Ulquiorra looked up, narrowing his eyes slightly. A giant! She was crouching down in front of him to get a closer look. The Espada took note of her dark green eyes and realized it was the same one he'd seen while floating in the tank. Her face was stoic, but there was the tiniest glimmer of concern brightening her eyes.

Ulquiorra lurched to his feet, taking a defensive stance. "Who are you?" he demanded, concealing his surprise when he heard his voice. It was slightly higher than his normal pitch. What was going on?

"I am Nemu Kurotsuchi, Lieutenant of the 12th Squad in the Gotei 13." Nemu answered simply.

'What does she want with me?' Ulquiorra wondered, but a more important question was nagging him. "Where am I?"

"You are in the laboratory of the Research and Development Institute, located beneath Squad 12 in the Seireitei." Nemu answered automatically. She saw no reason to withhold this information.

"How am I alive?" Ulquiorra had never asked so many questions, and he thought this was a little out of character of him. But curiosity got the better of him. That…and the image of a certain ginger-auburn haired girl reaching out to him before darkness taking over.

"My Captain, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, used highly advanced technology to harvest the reiatsu in your remains." Nemu said nonchalantly, as if it were something she said everyday. "You were able to be resurrected."

"I see." Ulquiorra said just as calmly. But internally, his mind was reeling. He'd been…brought back to life. His hands hung by his side. If he'd still been wearing his Espada uniform, his hands would be in his pockets as he and Nemu stood in silence, staring at each other. Then, in realization, his eyes widened. He looked down at himself in comparison to the tank, Nemu, and the room surrounding them.

"What the…!"

"The experiment was not a complete success." Nemu explained, as if she'd been waiting for him to realize. She had been, kind of. "We didn't have a large enough sample to restore you to your original state. Your physical and spiritual statures have been greatly reduced. Since there is no telling how long it will take to restore these things…" here, Nemu sighed, "I have been ordered to terminate—"

She was cut off by a frightened whimper.

Nemu and Ulquiorra stared at each other in surprise at the latter's sudden outburst. Both pairs of eyes were wide.

'Was that me?' Ulquiorra wondered.

Indeed, it had been. The little Espada had actually been momentarily terrified when he knew what Nemu was going to say. 'Why?' Ulquiorra was confused. He'd never felt emotions in all his time as an arrancar. He'd been the only one who his leader, Aizen, could trust not to let emotions lead to betrayal. So why did he suddenly seem so scared by the thought of being killed? Was it because of…_her_?

Nemu noticed the surprised look on the Espada's face after the sound escaped his throat, like he wasn't sure where it came from. Pity swept through Nemu and her eyes softened. She could only imagine the turmoil his thoughts were in: remembering whatever he'd experienced before his 'death', the shock of waking up as a 6 inch tall version of himself, finding himself condemned to a real death by the ones who'd resurrected him—his enemy.

Ulquiorra, breaking down in confusion, shock and anguish, lowered to his knees, his face in his hands. 'What is wrong with me? Why am I being so weak? How could I let this happen! I lost to that…that _substitute_ soul reaper! I'm so pathetic! I'm weak! What will Aizen-sama think of me now? How do I even get back to Las Noches? If what this woman says is true…I hardly have any reiatsu. I definitely don't have enough to open a Garganta…But if she's going to kill me, it doesn't matter. I don't want to die! I…I have to see her again…Why, damn it! Why can't I get her out of my head!'

Ulquiorra unknowingly curled up into a ball on the platform. Nemu frowned. It was worse than she thought. 'I can't…I can't kill him. Not when he's like this…'

Nemu reached out and gently scooped Ulquiorra into her hands. He faintly registered this, but his mind was already clouded and pounding with something he'd never had to deal with before. Emotion. Ulquiorra was beginning to slip under from all the pressure.

Holding him close to her chest, Nemu stood and headed towards the door. She'd take the punishment from her superior later.

* * *

_*~UlquixHime~*_

_~Close your eyes pretty girl 'cause it's easier when you brace yourself. Set your thoughts on a world far off, where we only cry from joy. ~

* * *

_

Ulquiorra opened his eyes slowly, only to find more darkness. His eyes widened. 'Where am I _now_?' Then his mind registered the warmth engulfing his body. In a brief moment of uncharacteristic panic, Ulquiorra threw his arms out, searching for any hint as to where he might be. His hands first found the cloth right in front of his face. He held onto it, starting to feel waves of motion sickness. After a moment, Ulquiorra began to relax, finding comfort in the rhythmic thumping of the heart beat beneath his head.

Wait. Heart beat?

Ulquiorra opened his eyes once again, attempting to push away from whatever—or _whoever _—he was resting against. But he couldn't move. Something was holding him in place.

Nemu was too busy using shunpo through the halls of the 12th division to notice the weak pushing against her hand. She had to hurry and find a hiding place for Little Bat, as she acknowledged him (despite how the cute nickname contradicted his fearsome reputation), before her Captain's return.

'Why am I helping him?' Nemu kept asking herself. Finally, she came up with an answer. 'Because he didn't ask to be this way.' That simple, obvious fact was enough to quiet Nemu's mind for a bit.

She flashed out of the 12th's barracks, leaving the confused guards behind. Once out of the gate with the character for _12_ on it, Nemu stopped. Where was she going anyway? Nemu realized she should've thought her smuggling plan through before making a move. 'Where to go…?' she thought of the options, starting with the squads nearby.

Squad 13? No. She didn't want to burden the sick 13th Captain. The 11th Squad? Out of the question. If none of those ruffians found or stepped on Little Bat, the pink haired Vice Captain would. Nemu almost shuddered at the thought of what Yachiru would do to the toy-sized Espada.

Where else? Everywhere else was in too much chaos over Aizen. Speaking of which, who would help, knowing Little Bat was previously one of Aizen's loyal subordinates? Maybe if Nemu told them Bat was on their side…'No', Nemu shook her head. They wouldn't believe the little, currently powerless Espada would be such a large asset in the future. So where could she go…?

Nemu could see only one person to go to. Her feet were carrying her in the right direction before she even made up her mind.

Ulquiorra was, in a word, pissed. Not only was the woman (he decided it was the woman based on the softness he was being pressed into a.k.a. her bosom) paying him no attention, but he couldn't tell what was going on. And he was even angrier at himself for being reduced to such a weak state.

'I'm…trash…'

Letting this sink it, Ulquiorra gave up his futile attempts at breaking free. Sitting there in the darkness as waves of motion sickness washed over him, Ulquiorra was beginning to feel…depressed. The tear-like markings on his face fit his mood. 'What is wrong with me?' He put his face in his hands. "Look what you've done to me…Orihime…"

Minutes later, Nemu arrived at the gate she was looking for. At the entrance, the character for _4_ was written on the gate.

"Kurotsuchi- fuku-taicho." The guards greeted, standing at attention.

"Is Unohana-taicho in?" Nemu asked seriously. "I need her help."

"Hai." One of the guards answered. "Go on in."

She did. Once inside, Nemu picked out and followed Retsu Unohana's spiritual pressure. Luckily, Unohana had just finished healing another batch of wounded from some arrancar attack and the Captain was on her way to her office to fill out their paperwork when Nemu caught up to her.

"Ah, Kurotsuchi fuku-taicho." The motherly woman smiled warmly. She had kind yet serious deep blue eyes and her long black hair was pulled around her neck, braided down her chest. She addressed everyone with honorifics, even her enemies. She was one of the oldest Captains contrary to her young appearance, and everyone respected her. Despite Unohana's calm and gentle nature, several people feared her. Even some of her fellow captains. "What brings you here?"

"I…am in request of your help, Unohana-sama." Nemu said. Her face was melancholy as usual, but her eyes shone with concern and determination. Nemu finally loosened her hold on the creature and held her hands out to the 4th Captain. Fur covered hands lowered from a pale face. Emerald green eyes stared up at Unohana, who gasped slightly in surprise, while trying to adjust to the sudden light.

"Oh my…"

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry again for the OOCness. But let me explain. Nemu is concerned and empathetic, contrary to her usual impassiveness, because she knows how it feels to be brought into being the way Ulquiorra was revived: the way Mayuri used technology to bring her gigai body to life. As for Ulquiorra…right before he 'died', he realized the true meaning of what a heart is. Because of this epiphany, he is vulnerable to all the emotions he's never experienced before.

Hope you all like it. Can you figure out what two songs are quoted in this chapter? More quotes next time!

~Taku ^_^


	3. Searching

**Beauty and the Bat**

**Step 2: Searching**

**A/N: **Chapter 2! Thanks to those of you who reviewed and added to alerts. I'm soo happy TT_TT *sobbing* especially since this whole story was a spur of the moment idea. Also, I'll try to get up another chapter for "I Bet You" soon. My inspiration in with this story at the moment! Also, I realize that in the prologue I titled it "Lost and Found" instead of "Beauty and the Bat". I was originally going to call this "Minified", then "Lost and Found", but I found "Beauty and the Bat" more appropriate and original-ish. What do you all think?

**Disclaimer: **Tite Kubo owns _Bleach_. I also do not own the lyrics posted in each chapter. Any of you know who does? See if you can figure out the name of each song a lyric is taken from! Also, do any of you know where this is from: "Pancakes taste good for breakfast."~Byakuya. He said this, I swear! If you find out where, let me know and I'll give you a pancake ^_^ (not really…I wish I had one T.T )

* * *

_*~UlquixHime~*_

_~What's this? What's this? There's color everywhere. What's this? There's white things in the air. What's this? I can't believe my eyes; I must be dreaming. Wake up, Jack, this isn't fair. What's this…~

* * *

_

"Oh my…" Unohana said. Her blue eyes widened as she took in the creature that sat in Nemu's hands. Ulquiorra looked back up at her, blinking his emerald eyes. He'd begun to get used to the darkness of Nemu's chest. Now, his eyes widened as well.

'Her spiritual pressure…she's a Captain…is she going to kill me?' Ulquiorra shook slightly, standing up on Nemu's palm with wobbly legs. Wanting to get away from the black haired woman, Ulquiorra thought about jumping. 'But at this height' (it seemed high because he was so small) 'and in my weak state…I wouldn't make it.' So Ulquiorra settled with carefully hopping from Nemu's hand to her forearm, where he began to climb up to her left shoulder.

Nemu and Unohana watched in surprise as the little Cuatro Espada perched himself on Nemu's shoulder. He hooked his right hand onto Nemu's red choker, trying to steady himself. Believing that the black haired woman couldn't kill him without decapitating Nemu as well, Ulquiorra felt safe.

"Interesting." Unohana thought aloud, pure curiosity on her face. She leaned down a bit to see Ulquiorra at eye level. Before, Ulquiorra would've been insulted that the woman was looking down on him. But now, with his newfound emotions, Ulquiorra actually felt intimidated. Just a bit. Just enough for him to scoot closer to Nemu's neck.

Realizing what Ulquiorra must have been thinking, Retsu Unohana smiled gently. "Don't worry little one, I'm not going to hurt you." She said. 'Yet', Ulquiorra could practically hear her add. The woman looked straight into Nemu's eyes though and said, "I would like an explanation for this however…Kurotsuchi fuku-taicho."

"Kurotsuchi-sama was conducting research based on our findings in Hueco Mundo." Nemu explained bluntly, leaving much detail to be desired. But, being the wise Captain she was, Unohana knew that the rest would have to wait until a little later.

"I see." Unohana said, the smile never faltering as she gazed at Ulquiorra. She noticed the hollow-hole in Ulquiorra's chest, his bat-like appearance, and his human traits. Putting it all together, Unohana realized that this had to be an arrancar.

"And from whom am I given the honor of speaking to?" Unohana asked politely. Even her eyes smiled at Ulquiorra.

"Ulquiorra Schiffer, Cuatro Espada." Said man answered automatically. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her smile. It reminded him of another smile…one that had been much sadder whenever he saw it. 'Orihime…' Ulquiorra mentally kicked himself. 'Stop thinking about her!'

"Nice to meet you, Schiffer-san." Unohana said. "I am Retsu Unohana, 4th Squad Captain. See, we're both the number four." At this she smiled even more kindly, if that were even possible.

Ulquiorra just nodded numbly. Why were these women being so nice to him? Ulquiorra was beginning to feel weary.

"So what exactly is it that you need, Kurotsuchi-san?" Unohana asked, standing up straight.

"Well…" Nemu started. "It concerns Little Bat. You see…"

Ulquiorra tuned out, gazing up at Unohana. He hadn't even heard Nemu's nickname for him. Ulquiorra just couldn't figure it out. This woman, Retsu Unohana, was the enemy. A soul reaper…a Captain no less! Yet she wasn't jumping at the opportunity to kill him in his weakened state. And she radiated such a motherly warmth…Ulquiorra could tell she had a big heart.

'Just listen to me.' Ulquiorra thought, reflecting over his observation. 'How long ago was it that I didn't know what a heart was? Now I go around judging people on theirs...

'Orihime had a big heart…'

Ulquiorra shook his head as if to clear his brain. 'Why do I keep thinking about her! She's nothing but a human. A tool for Aizen-sama's use. As am I…' Ulquiorra sighed, surprising himself. When had he ever sighed? 'Curse this weakness…if it weren't for _that woman_ I wouldn't have to deal with these…_emotions_.' He thought the word with disgust. 'Just wait until I get my hands on her…wait, why am I letting her get to me! AAH!'

"Ulquiorra-san?"

Ulquiorra stiffened, remembering when _the woman who shall not be named_ had called him like that. He uncovered his eyes (which he'd unconsciously covered with his free hand out of irritation) and looked up. Unohana was looking down at him.

Unohana was slightly concerned when she looked down to see the Cuatro Espada holding his head as if in pain. Nemu had just explained how she was trying to hide the arrancar from her captain. Unohana didn't approve of Nemu's sneakiness, but she also didn't agree with Kurotsuchi's method of dealing with living 'failed experiments'. Plus, after seeing the usually nonchalant Nemu so concerned, Retsu couldn't just turn her back.

"Are you ok?" she asked Ulquiorra. He nodded, but a slight scowl remained. Unohana's smile dropped ever so slightly. "I'm not skilled enough to return you to your original state, but I think I know someone who might have some advice…"

_*~UlquixHime~*_

_~You sink into my clothes. And this invasion makes me feel worthless, hopeless; sick. ~_

Ulquiorra gripped Nemu's neck, his whole body pressed against it. He felt nauseas, sitting on Nemu's shoulder as she ran through the Senkaimon. She'd offered to carry him as she had before, but hoping to retain some sort of dignity, he declined. Now, Ulquiorra regretted his cursed pride.

"Finally." Ulquiorra exhaled shakily as the other side of the portal came into view. Nemu heard him easily, considering his proximity to his ear, but had no response. Right now, she just wanted to hurry and get Little Bat (that was her official nickname for him) to safety.

"_Go to Karakura Town in the Human World. I'll have a Senkai portal opened to Kisuke Urahara's shop_…_" Unohana said, leading Nemu through the halls of the 4__th__ Division. "He should have some insight to this, seeing as how he created the Hougyoku…"_

Ulquiorra, knowing where they were going, now felt a different sort of nausea. Though he didn't know why meeting his true creator made his stomach churn. Perhaps it was because the Hougyoku had put him through hell…almost literally?

Ulquiorra didn't have time to contemplate. Nemu burst through the portal, coming to a sudden stop in the dusty dirt covered terrain. Luckily Ulquiorra already had a firm grip on Nemu's neck or else he would've been thrown off by Newton's Law of Inertia.

"Ah, welcome!" a voice called. Nemu and Ulquiorra turned their heads at the same time in the direction of the male's voice. Approaching them was a man in a dark green shirt and pants with a black coat over it. He was wearing traditional Japanese wooden sandals with a green and white striped bucket hat. From underneath that peeked pale blonde hair. As he came closed, Ulquiorra could make out his gray eyes hidden in the shadow of his hat. The rest of his face was hidden behind a paper fan.

Ulquiorra closed his eyes and subtly shrunk against Nemu's neck. So that was the difference between this time and the first time he'd come to the Human World. Now, he knew he was at the mercy of the ex-captain. 'What trash I've become…'

"I trust you had a safe trip?" Kisuke said, still cheerful. Nemu just nodded. She wondered how much Unohana-taicho had told Urahara before they arrived.

"That's good." Kisuke said. Then, his cheerful façade dropped just as he closed his fan. "Now Unohana told me you were in a hurry. So let's get down to business shall we?"

With that, he turned his expressionless gaze to Ulquiorra, who was nestled in the crook of Nemu's neck. His eyes widened in surprise. Unohana hadn't told him much; just that he would see why Nemu wanted to save the Espada. Now he saw.

"So there wasn't enough spiritual pressure to restore him completely." Kisuke assessed with just a glance. Nemu nodded, impressed slightly by his quick analysis. But then, this _was_ the founder of the Research and Development Institute. No wonder Unohana thought he could help.

"Let's take this upstairs." Kisuke said. "It would be rude of me to not offer you any refreshments after you came all the way to my humble abode."

* * *

_*~UlquixHime~*_

_~All my efforts to clean me leave me putrid and filthy. And how can you look at me when I can't stand myself? ~

* * *

_

'Upstairs', Nemu sat across from Urahara at a wooden table. In the middle of the table facing Kisuke was an agitated Ulquiorra. He stood with his arms folded as he appraised the pale-blonde with what he hoped was a defiant glare. The blonde, however, wasn't affected by the small-sized icy-glare. And that made Ulquiorra irritated. He hated being so powerless!

'I bet Orihime would be intimidated.' Ulquiorra thought. That brought several emotions. One was annoyance that he'd once again thought of the human girl. Another was satisfaction to know that he affected at least one person. But the last reaction surprised Ulquiorra: sadness. Like…he didn't _want_ Orihime to be scared of him. Even though he did. Didn't he?

"Now let's see…what to do with you?" Kisuke pondered, staring at Ulquiorra. Kisuke's mind was scrolling through many options. He didn't want to kill Ulquiorra. He felt the Espada had enough meddling done to his life: starting with Urahara's creation of the Hougyoku, for which Urahara felt horribly guilty. So the least he could do now was to keep the Cuatro Espada alive for a bit longer. Just until he returned to his normal state, when he was a threat again.

But the question was when—or even _if_—that would happen.

"The war isn't that far away..." Urahara started. This cause Ulquiorra to stiffen slightly. Was Urahara going to try to torture him for information? Being half a foot tall seemed torture enough…

"Therefore," Urahara said. "I think its best if—"

"Excuse me, Urahara-san?"

Three heads turned toward the door that had just slid open. There stood Ururu Tsumugiya, a young girl with purple-black hair in two pig tails and sad-looking purple eyes. Her bangs were odd, two strands going down the middle of her face, kind of like antennae.

"What is it Ururu?" Kisuke asked. He wasn't mad at her for interrupting him because he knew that the only reason she would is when she had something important to say.

"I'm sorry, but someone is here to see you." Ururu said in her timid voice, bowing slightly to Urahara. All the while she was staring at the mini-Ulquiorra with wide eyes. She continued monotone, "I told him you were busy, but he insisted it was urgent…"

"It's fine." Urahara said, fwipping out his fan in front of his face. {Yes, he fwipped it.} He was grateful that Ulquiorra's reiatsu was super faint, or else Ururu would've immediately turned robot-like and attacked the Espada when she deemed him 'a threat that must be eliminated'. "Send him in."

Ururu bowed, not taking her gaze off of Ulquiorra as she turned and scurried off. Moments later, a teenage boy appeared in the doorway.

"So it is you." The boy said, pushing his glasses up on his nose. He had raven-black hair and, behind the flash of his spectacles, dark blue eyes. He was looking at Nemu.

"Uryu Ishida, the last of the Quincy." Nemu said automatically, remembering their previous encounters and how she'd given him the tool to restore his powers (that he'd actually lost while fighting Mayuri). Nemu had actually helped protect Uryu in Hueco Mundo against the Octava (8th) Espada, Szayel Aporro Granz, although she'd just been following her captain's lead.

"And hello to you, Uryu." Kisuke greeted brightly.

"Right, hello Urahara-san." Uryu said, remembering his manners. He looked back and forth between the shop owner and soul reaper. "So…what's going on? Why are you here Nemu Kurotsuchi?"

Nemu blinked and looked down at the table.

"What, did something hap—?" Uryu bit his tongue as he followed her line of sight. He was now looking at a small bat that he hadn't noticed standing on the table. 'Wait…that's not a bat!'

Uryu pointed, stuttering. "N-no…im-impossible! Kurosaki…he killed you…you're dead! What the hell's going on?"

Kisuke sighed and snapped his fan shut. Looks like he had to explain things sooner than expected. Meanwhile, Ulquiorra (who'd been silent this whole time), stared at the gawking teenager.

"That's right, he did." Ulquiorra said tonelessly. "Yet here I am. Why are you so surprised?"

"What the…because you're supposed to be dead! Gone!" Uryu said. He was uncharacteristically baffled.

"And here I am." Ulquiorra said. He was a bit smug, pleased with the teenager's reaction. His amusement disappeared with Uryu's next words though.

"Not for long." Uryu said, suddenly with his Quincy bow in hand, arrow aiming for Ulquiorra. The Espada's face paled. At least…it would have if it already weren't such a color. He knew he was totally defenseless. "Good bye for real, Cuatro Espada Ulquiorra Schiffer!"

He let the arrow fly. The electric blue color reflected in Ulquiorra's wide green eyes as it came straight for his head. His talons were frozen to the table in shock. He was trapped, and the arrow was coming.

Impact. A flash of white, then total darkness. Blood.


	4. Reuniting

**Beauty and the Bat**

**Step 3: Reuniting**

**A/N: **Ok, so last chapter's ending was kind of a cheesy cliffhanger. But when you think about it, aren't a lot of the cliff hangers in anime cheesy in some way? Idk, maybe it's just me. Anyway, I know you guys wouldn't have believed I'd kill off Ulqui-chan like that! First of all, the story's just gotten started. There hasn't even been any Ulquihime-ness yet. Second, I love Ulquiorra too much to even consider him dying. Why do you think he was resurrected in this story? Third, killing him _again_? Isn't Ulqui-chan dealing with enough right now? Thanks for reading!

**Disclaimer: **Tite Kubo owns _Bleach_. I also do not own the lyrics posted in each chapter. Any of you know who does? Still waiting for guesses before I give you a hint!

* * *

_*~UlquixHime~*_

_~Fully alive, more than most; ready to smile and love life. Fully alive and she knows how to believe in futures. ~

* * *

_

"What to eat, what to eat?"

The shuffling of paper bags filled the silence of the kitchen as the girl dumped their contents onto her counter. She began to put away the various noodles, fish, rice, and other items. When she was done, she started to reverse the process, pulling out varying ingredients. This was the game she played whenever she didn't know exactly what she wanted to eat. That's how she came up with so many of her delicious (only to her) dishes.

"What to eat, what to eat?"

The girl chanted in a sing song voice. With the ingredients out, she started thinking of different combinations for the food. "I know. I'll make yakitori* grilled with natto*! I haven't had that for a while, plus it should be just enough to fill me up. Oh, and the chazuke* can be drizzled over it!" {Yakitori: grilled chicken on skewers, natto: sticky dish of fermented Soya beans, chazuke: a late-night-snack type meal consisting of green tea poured over rice}

The girl set to work, her ginger-auburn hair swishing every time she turned to mix something here or turn something there. Finally, while everything was cooking, she cheerfully hummed her way to the main room. She grabbed a remote off the coffee table and picked up a picture off a shelf as she passed. Proceeding to flop down on her couch, she pressed a button on the remote. The radio across the room came on, filling the flat with classical music.

Orihime Inoue didn't know what to do with her self. Ever since Ichigo and the others rescued her from Hueco Mundo, she'd been told to stay inside as much as possible until the war was over. Orihime hated the thought of being safely inside while her friends went out risking their lives. But she also didn't want to be the burden she knew she would be if she tried to help.

Orihime sighed. She hated being so weak, always needing someone to come and rescue her. She felt she didn't deserve the great friends who came to her aid whenever she was in trouble. She once again thought of her time in Hueco Mundo. She'd only agreed to go quietly because Ulquiorra—she sighed at the thought of her ex-captor's name—had threatened to kill her friends otherwise. What had she done? She went along, pledging her loyalty to the traitor Aizen in hopes of sparing her friends' lives. But what happened? They all nearly died. Because they were trying to rescue _her_.

Orihime hated herself.

On top of her friends' near-death experiences, Orihime had also lost someone she was beginning to grow fond of. She was sure anyone would find her growing attachment to her captor quite odd. But what could she say? He was the only one who she regularly interacted with during her looong stay in Hueco Mundo. Plus, he'd protected her, even if it was only Aizen's orders. And she was just starting to crack his cold, impassive shell when…no. She _had_ cracked his shell. Right before he…died—Orihime gulped to swallow the lump in her throat—she'd seen the change in him.

Were it any other time, Orihime would've been overjoyed at the prospect of beginning to solve the mystery that was Ulquiorra Schiffer. But at that time, as he faded in the wind, she only felt overwhelming sadness. Maybe it was because that he'd discovered the true meaning of a heart right before his own faded. Or maybe it was because, even though she missed her home terribly, she didn't want her captor to just…die. Or perhaps there was something more…?

Orihime gripped the picture frame in her hands, gazing down at her brother's smile with her own sad one. "Oh Sora-nii…I'm so confused…" her gray-brown eyes were soft. "But then…I'll just have to get over it won't I?"

* * *

_*~UlquixHime~*_

_~Sorrow lasts through this night. I'll take this piece of you and hope for all eternity. For just one second I felt whole as you flew right through me. ~

* * *

_

Impact. A flash of white, then total darkness. Blood.

"What?"

Emerald green eyes slowly cracked open. He lowered the last moment shield his wings had created and what they revealed caused his eyes to widen fully. Blood was dripping in front of him. The tip of Uryu's arrow was only a few centimeters away. The blood was coming from the hand gripping the arrow, the reiatsu slicing into the exposed flesh. Ulquiorra's gaze traveled across the hand and up to the owner's face. It was the woman's; Nemu's.

All was quiet for a few moments.

"Whew!"

Ulquiorra jumped slightly, cursing himself for doing so at the sudden outburst. Kisuke Urahara was leaning away from the table a bit, fanning himself with a relieved smirk on his face.

"That was a close one. Nice reflexes Nemu-san." Sandal-hat continued.

Nemu's face was blank. Ulquiorra and Uryu were the only ones expressing any shock.

"Kurotsuchi-san?" Uryu finally asked incredulously as he lowered his bow.

The girl had stretched across the table to catch the arrow just before it hit Ulquiorra. Her pose seemed relax despite the tension of the situation. Her elbow was propped on the table and her other hand gripped the edge of the wood. Actually, her position was just like that of one in an arm-wrestling match. Except for the deep crimson fluid trickling down to her wrist before dripping onto the table.

"Are you harmed," Nemu asked flatly, looking down at Ulquiorra from the corner of her eye. "Little Bat?"

Ulquiorra slowly shook his head as 'no'. "But…why did you…?"

"Please, please," Kisuke said, putting his hands up defensively to Uryu. "Let me explain before you destroy my shop. _Please_."

And, after persuading Uryu to put his weapon away and Uryu bandaging Nemu's hand with his emergency first-aid kit, explain is what Urahara did. Uryu joined the others at the table, glaring at Ulquiorra the whole time Urahara talked, Nemu input, and he questioned. Ulquiorra remained silent the whole time, now super cautious of the teenager who sat not a meter away.

'Great, so now I, a Quincy, have to tolerate not only soul reapers but a hollow. The fourth Espada no less!' Uryu huffed out his disbelief. He couldn't even imagine what his father would say.

"And as I was about to say before our –ahem— _interruption_…I think its best if Ulquiorra stayed with Orihime-chan until the war is over." Kisuke concluded.

"What!" Uryu demanded at the same time Ulquiorra coughed. "Excuse me!"

"You heard me." Kisuke said. He looked solely to Nemu, who was stoic as usual. "You understand why, ne Kurotsuchi-san?"

Said lieutenant nodded. Sure, at first it sounded crazy to house the shrunken Espada with his ex-charge. But the human girl wasn't to participate in the upcoming battle, and she was the only logical choice. Everyone else would probably want Ulquiorra dead. Who's to say the girl didn't as well? 'No,' Kisuke thought, 'she's too kind-hearted. Even in the presence of her enemies.'

'She isn't fit for battle.' Uryu thought similarly. 'And at this point, neither is the Cuatro Espada. Inoue-san does seem to be the only option but…no!'

"I cannot allow it." Uryu said, slamming his fist down on the table. This shook the platform, causing Ulquiorra to lose his balance and fall onto his behind. Out of reflex, he'd spread his wings. But obviously it wasn't that long a fall, and they were crumpled as he landed. Cursing quietly, Ulquiorra pushed himself back up to his feet, not wanting to seem weak. He attempted to straighten his wings.

"Hm? And why is that?" Urahara asked. But he was focused on Ulquiorra, his grey eyes shining in wonder.

"Because…" Uryu raised himself to his knees. "Because what sense does it make? How are we supposed to know for sure that he won't try to take Orihime again?"

Nemu had begun to help Ulquiorra, her skillful hands gently twitching his wings in the right places until they were righted. Ulquiorra had taken a small hit to his pride for her having to help him, but he was grateful. He caught her hand as she was about to pull away: it was the hand she'd used to stop the arrow. He turned it over. Well, he tried to, but Nemu hadn't yet realized what he was trying to do. When she did, she relaxed, making it easy for the Murcielago to do with what he wished. He observed the palm, touching the ragged red flesh that had been marred by the Quincy's arrow.

Ulquiorra, with his newfound emotions, felt guilty. He looked up at Nemu, meeting her deep green eyes with his emerald ones. Nemu was surprised by the amount of apology in his gaze. Nemu smiled slightly in reassurance and made a tiny gesture with her chin at her hand. Ulquiorra looked back down and his eyes widened the tiniest bit in surprise. Nemu's palm was warping, cells multiplying, dividing, and multiplying again as the wound dried to a scar, and then began to grow skin again. Her regeneration for small injuries like this was exceptional thanks to Mayuri's technology.

Ulquiorra looked up to meet Nemu's eyes again. This time, the corners of his own mouth lifted ever so slightly. He was silently glad she she'd wordlessly forgiven him for something he hadn't had to apologize for in the first place, according to her eyes.

Kisuke watched this whole exchange curiously. Then a smirk worked its way onto his face. He looked at Uryu, who he hadn't replied to yet. "Really Ishida-san? You think harmless Little Bat here even desires to do such a thing? Besides, I already told you that he is very much weakened in his current state. I doubt he can even contact Hueco Mundo let alone go there."

Ulquiorra's ears caught this and he turned to glare up at Urahara. But again, Kisuke didn't notice. Or else he pretended not to.

"So what do you say?" Kisuke said, turning his attention to Ulquiorra.

'What do I say?' Ulquiorra thought. What did he say? He considered the thought of seeing the ginger-auburn haired girl. Something in him fluttered, filling him with a warm feeling. 'What the…curse these emotions! What is this new feeling? No! I absolutely will _not_ stay with Orihime Inoue. She probably won't want me there anyway…what am I saying? Why do I care if she wants me or not? I mean, not wants _me_, but for me to stay with her…? No, that isn't right either! AAH!'

"Little Bat?" Nemu asked. He was holding his head like before in the lab, then in the hall of the 4th Division. Maybe there was an after effect of the testing?

Ulquiorra looked up at her. She saw his tiny eyes swimming in confusion, involuntarily pleading for her help. Nemu turned serious (if she wasn't before), full of new determination. She looked at Kisuke. "I will take him to Orihime Inoue's dwellings." She said.

"Absolutely not!" Uryu protested as Kisuke said happily, "of course!"

Uryu slammed his fists on the table again. Fortunately, Ulquiorra had grabbed onto Nemu's hand again and was off the table before he could be put off balance again. Nemu lifted her hand for him to climb onto her shoulder.

"Urahara, I'm sorry to go against your judgment but I have to insist."

"What's the matter Ishida-kun?" Kisuke asked playfully. He opened his fan in front of his face like an old lady saying 'oh my'. "You wouldn't happen to be…_jealous_ would you?"

"No." Uryu said, pushing his glasses up on the bridge of his nose again. But he could feel the heat creeping up his neck and into his cheeks.

"Good." Kisuke said. The smile was plain in his voice. He turned to Nemu, who'd stood up. In her action, Ulquiorra hooked his hand under the soul reaper's choker like before. "I trust you can find your way? I think I need to have a little chat here with Ishida-kun."

Nemu nodded, looking pointedly at said teenager. Then she bowed slightly to Urahara (doing her best not to cause Little Bat to fall off). "Arigatou."

* * *

_*~UlquixHime~*_

_~Amy says she's all alone. Says the world doesn't even know about the pain she has inside; says happiness is just a lie. ~

* * *

_

Orihime had just finished doing the dishes from her dinner. It had quite delicious if she did say so herself (and she's the only one who would). Now, Orihime lay on her back on across her bed. Her picture of her deceased older brother, Sora, smiled at her from his place on her nightstand. Orihime's brilliantly colored hair was spread on the bed around her head. It was the bright beacon in her darkening room as evening set into Karakura Town.

Orihime's eyes were closed, but she wasn't asleep. She once again found herself imagining herself back in Hueco Mundo. Oh, how she'd changed during her imprisonment. Her friends hadn't noticed, thanks to her skill at hiding her real feelings. But Orihime couldn't hide it from herself.

Orihime sighed and open her 'new' grey-brown eyes to stare at the ceiling. She found herself doing that a lot lately. 'This sucks, having to stay inside all the time. Why do I have to be such burden to everyone? Why do I have to be the weak one?'

A knock at the front door interrupted Orihime's thoughts. "I wonder who that could be." Orihime said to her empty room. She sat up, looking at her alarm clock. It was only a little past a quarter to eight. But because it was autumn, night seemed to be coming earlier and earlier. "It's probably Tatsuki-san. But wait, she went to her grandparents' house for the weekend. Who could it be? Ishida coming to check up on me again? Or…Kurosaki-san?' her heart thudded harder for a second, but the throbbing wasn't anywhere near as violent at months before; before she went to Hueco Mundo. Orihime sighed again. Indeed, that trip had changed her.

"Coming!"

Orihime quickly fixed her hair as she made her way out of her room and through the apartment. She wasn't sure whose spiritual pressure she felt on the other side of the door, but Orihime knew it was familiar. She fixed her shirt and fixed a smile onto her face to greet whoever it was before undoing all the locks on the front door (her friends insisted she needed as much protection as possible). Pulling the door open, Orihime greeted brightly. "Hello?"

"Hello, Orihime Inoue."

Orihime was surprised to meet the female's face. Of course! She remembered her from her first trip to the Soul Society. She was with that creepy man who'd wanted to 'experiment' on her. His promises to be gentle as he pulled her apart and did who knows what else sent shivers up her spine to this day. 'Captain-clown', Orihime had dubbed him. 'And his assistant…?'

"I am Nemu Kurotsuchi, Lieutenant of Squad 12. Do you remember?" the girl, Nemu asked business like. The darkness of the evening behind her made Nemu seem scary. Not scary like Captain-Creepy, but like you definitely didn't want someone like her behind you at the cash register while buying chocolate sauce to put over your potatoes. {Don't ask.}

"Of course," Orihime smiled, opening the door. "I'm sorry, come on in. I'll put on some tea."

"Thank you. However my visit will be short." Nemu said, entering Orihime's apartment.

Minutes later, Nemu found herself sitting on the couch in the main room of Orihime's apartment while Orihime bustled about in the kitchen.

"So Kurotsuchi-san, what brings you here?" Orihime called. She appeared in the doorway connecting the kitchen to the room moments later.

"I have come with a request of your services." Nemu said simply.

"OhreallywhataboutI'llhelpinanywayIcan!" Orihime said in a rush. Nemu only caught it because of her advanced hearing. Orihime was excited, absolutely elated to know that she could finally be of some help to someone. She was _needed_.

"Well actually…it's about Little Bat." Nemu said. She glanced down at her shoulder.

"Little Bat?" Orihime asked, curious. She followed her gaze to what she hadn't noticed at all: Nemu's shoulder. She met small, emerald green eyes.

CRASH!

* * *

**A/N:** Haha, finally! And wow, it's almost 6 in the morning. But I really wanted to get this done. I posted everything in this story in less than three days. Considering I'd only prewritten the prologue, I feel pretty darn proud of myself. I've never felt so…accomplished TT_TT *sobbing* and I couldn't have done it without your reviews. Thanks*sniff*so*sniff sniff*MUCH YOU GUYS!

And a hint to where the lyrics are from included in next chapter. Thanks for reading!

~'Taku ^_^


	5. Dreaming

**Beauty and the Bat**

**Step 4: Dreaming**

**A/N: **Sweet, chapter 4 up! Finally, Orihime and Ulquiorra reunite. How do they each react? Hope you enjoy! Oh and also, I realize that so far this may seem kind of UlquiNemu. Fear not, Ulquiorra is just grateful (another emotion!) that Nemu hasn't killed him. And Nemu is beginning to attach to him as if he were a pet. See, she even gave him her own nickname! Kawaii Little Bat!

**Disclaimer: **Tite Kubo owns _Bleach_. I also do not own the lyrics posted in each chapter. Any of you know who does? Hint at the end of this chapter!

* * *

_*~UlquixHime~*_

_~Believe in dreams you love so much. Let the passion of your heart make them real. And tell all the ones you love anything and everything you feel. ~

* * *

_

CRASH!

The room was eerily silent. Tea seeped through the carpet beneath broken porcelain. The metal tray that had been in Orihime's hands just a moment ago was now upside down near her feet. Her gray-brown eyes were wide but sightless. Her hands reached up to cover her mouth, trembling.

"Uh…uh…uh…"

"Please try to remain calm." Nemu said, holding up a hand. "He is currently not a threat."

Ulquiorra would have glared at her for the comment, but he was preoccupied with staring at Orihime. His small eyes were as wide as they could go. He was gripping Nemu's puffed sleeve so tightly his fists were shaking as waves of emotion crashed into him.

Regret. Joy. Anger. Sorrow. Loneliness. Relief. An icy shiver ran up his spine; searing warmth burned in his stomach, a large weight on his shoulders; the weightlessness of his mind.

Love.

That last one brought Ulquiorra back down to Earth. For that instant, all his worries disappeared. He was no longer a six-inch tall bat creature, but his normal sized self. And he held her in his arms oh so easily; he was lost in her eyes. He was carefree.

"Ulquiorra…"

The girl's voice slammed him into reality and he was once again perched on Nemu's shoulder, staring at the teenaged human in shock at what he'd just felt.

Orihime's brain was just as tangled. All at once, she was back in her cell in Hueco Mundo, watching at the ever-present moon through the single barred window; wondering what her friends were doing. Did they miss her? No, they were probably calling her a traitor. Orihime sighed. She was standing in the middle of the gray, hopeless room. She was the only source of color, her hair giving off a fading orange glow of its own. She was wearing the white and black-trimmed arrancar uniform that she'd had to exchange her school uniform for. Orihime's face was blank, pale, and thinning. Her eyes were flat; dead. She'd stopped crying long ago.

And then Orihime heard the footsteps that she'd trained her ears to straight for over the past few weeks. They were faint, as the owner of the footsteps was always graceful. But Orihime perked up a bit. Why was she so excited to see her warden? Because he was the only one here that she saw on a regular basis. And after being alone for so long, she welcomed any form of communication. Arguing with her captor over eating until he threatened to force the food down her throat became something to look forward to.

Orihime glanced over her shoulder, small smile already on her face as her usually-locked door slid into a panel in the wall. There in the doorway, light from the hall flooding around him into the dark room, stood the one she'd began to find comfort in. "Ulquiorra-san."

"…Hello, woman."

Orihime gasped now. The voice was just like in her memories, if only slightly different. She couldn't quite place what was different though because of her screaming thoughts

'Ulquiorra! It's really him. But he's dead…Kurosaki-kun killed him. I know; I was there! Then how…is he…is he here to take me back? No! I'm not going back. I won't! But Ulquiorra-san…he's…'

Darkness consumed her before she could finish the thought.

* * *

_*~UlquixHime~*_

_~I don't know who I am anymore. Not once in life have I been real, but I've never felt this close before. I've been looking in your window; I've been dressing in your clothes. I've been walking dead, watching you long enough to know I can't go on. ~

* * *

_

Orihime's eye lids fluttered. She sleepily opened them, only to meet a fair of green orbs in front if her face.

"AH! Ulquiorra!"

She sat up quickly. She would've knocked foreheads with the other person if they hadn't moved away at the last second.

"No, it is me."

Orihime turned towards the voice to find Nemu looking at her. "Oh." Orihime said. She exhaled in relief. She decided that her seeing the Espada again had only been a dream. She didn't bother to notice how illogical this was: if that had been a dream, how did the female soul reaper get into her room?

She then noticed that she was lying on her bed and Nemu was kneeling at her bedside. "What…?"

"You fainted." Nemu explained simply. "I caught you before you hit your head."

"Oh, thanks." Orihime giggled, rubbing the back of her head. "I'm such a klutz."

Nemu didn't say anything. Orihime sat there, thinking of how to ask her questions, when her ears picked up on the movement in the other room. It sounded like someone jostling glass. She turned her head in the direction of the door. "Nemu-san…is someone—"

"Little Bat volunteered to clean up the mess." Nemu said evenly.

"Little Bat…you mean…" Orihime's paled as it had before she passed out. "It wasn't a dream…"

"Please, Orihime Inoue," Nemu said seriously, locking her eyes with Orihime's. "You need to listen to me and listen carefully."

Meanwhile, 'Little Bat' was picking up pieces of glass as big as his head, most of them bigger. He carried or dragged it over to the garbage can Nemu had found and brought in from the kitchen. Gripping the shard of glass as long as his arm and wide as his torso, Ulquiorra spread his wings, jumped up, and flapped down hard. Flapping some more, he rose to the lip of the trash can and dropped in the piece of glass cup. Then he returned to the floor to continue his work.

Eventually, Ulquiorra managed to get all the debris into the trash. Then, bracing his talons on the rug, Ulquiorra attempted to push the garbage can, planning to put it back in the kitchen. It wouldn't budge. Immediately annoyed, Ulquiorra turned around, pressed his back to the garbage can, and attempted to push it that way. The garbage can hadn't even moved a centimeter before Ulquiorra sat down against it, exhausted.

'Damn this weakness!' He slammed his fist on the can, making a faint thud sound on the container.

"So that's what all this is about?" Orihime was saying softly, gripping her skirt. Nemu, still kneeling by the bed, nodded. She'd just finished explaining the situation to the human.

"Well," Orihime sighed. "I think it'll be really awkward. 'Duh! He held me captive! It was only orders, but still!' I mean…why me?"

"I've already told you why." Nemu said in her usual calculative tone. "Urahara believes you to be the only logical choice."

"I know but…I don't know…" Orihime said, frowning. She couldn't just say 'okie-dokie' when asked to shelter her enemy. Could she? 'I mean…he's not really my enemy…he was just being loyal to his leader. That's respectable. And I was pretty sad when he died…'

Sad wasn't even close. When she'd returned to the Human World only to be told to stay indoors, Orihime still felt like a prisoner. Only now she had the death of someone she'd been quite fond of dangling over her head. Orihime hadn't been sad. She'd been outright depressed.

"Please…"

"!" Orihime looked up to meet Nemu's pleading gaze. The soul reaper had taken Orihime's hands in her own.

"I don't want my father to find and destroy Little Bat." Nemu said. Her voice was calm, but there was an undertone of sorrow. "I'll take whatever punishment he gives me for disobeying his orders. But I want Little Bat to live…"

"Nemu-san…" Orihime searched the other female's eyes. There was genuine concern in them. Orihime made up her mind then, though she had a feeling from the beginning that it would turn out this way. As much as Orihime believed she changed during her time in Las Noches, her big heart hadn't changed.

"I'll take care of him. I promise."

In the room next door, Ulquiorra was now attempting to carry the metal tea-tray into the kitchen (after giving up on the garbage can for now). He grasped the corner of the large tray with all his might, afraid his hands would slip at any moment. Finally, he flapped into the kitchen. Ulquiorra was feeling pretty confident. See? He could do things himself. He wasn't the helpless little Murcielago he appeared to be.

Ulquiorra wondered if Orihime would be proud of him for cleaning up the mess. He hadn't had a chance to talk to her, other than choking out the hello just before she fainted. Ulquiorra was grateful for Nemu's quick reflexes once again as she just up to catch Orihime right before she hit the glass littered floor.

The Cuatro Espada didn't even want to imagine what would've happened if Nemu hadn't leapt forward. The thought of poor Orihime with shards of glass sticking out of her made his stomach churn and his marked face paled. 'Wait, why do I care?' Ulquiorra once again asked himself accusingly. 'She's only a human. I shouldn't care about her or what happens to her. I don't care. I don't care, I don't care, I d—'

CRASH!

THUD, CLATTER.

Orihime and Nemu jumped at the sound. Well, Orihime jumped. Nemu's eyes widened as she immediately looked to the door of Orihime's bedroom. The two of them got to their feet, rushing to the kitchen.

* * *

_*~UlquixHime~*_

_~Contemplating you is like a dream. I never want to wake up from what I finally see. Perfect circles turn in orbit following a perfect path from your perfect hand. ~

* * *

_

"Damn it." Ulquiorra cursed, rubbing his face. He couldn't believe he let _that woman_ distract him enough for him to fly right into a wooden cabinet. The large metal tray lay flat, right side up, not too far away on the hard linoleum floor. That's what had caused the loud clatter.

"Little Bat?"

"Ulquiorra-san?"

Said male looked up at the two giants hovering in the kitchen doorway. Both girls were looked down at his in confusion and concern.

"I was…" Ulquiorra started. He was just…what? Daydreaming about the ginger-auburn haired girl he was now staring up at? No way was he going to admit to that. Though it wasn't much, he still had _some_ pride left.

"Are you ok Ulquiorra-san?" Orihime asked, suddenly forgetting all of her doubts about helping him. Now that she got a good look at his small and helpless form…well she couldn't _not _help him.

"I'm fine." Ulquiorra claimed. His voice was muffled by the hand over his nose. He was using his other hand to prop him in a sitting position. He felt a sort of heat rising in his cheeks. It startled Little Bat momentarily, as this was the first time he'd felt any form of embarrassment.

"You shouldn't lie," Orihime said, going over to his side. She dropped down to all fours on the kitchen floor, lowering her face to his level. "Your wings! What happened?"

Ulquiorra opened his miniature mouth to reply, but found himself at a loss for words as he stared into her large gray-brown eyes that were so close. His own emerald green orbs widened, unable to look away. Something welled up inside him just then, and he would've been lost if Nemu hadn't suddenly appeared on the other side of him, in the same position as Orihime.

"AH!" Ulquiorra jumped, taken off guard by her large face appearing out of nowhere.

Orihime couldn't believe it. Ulquiorra had been…surprised? Was this the same Ulquiorra Schiffer that rarely showed any shred of emotion? Even when threatening to shove food down her throat?

'Well,' she thought, 'I guess DYING would do that to anyone.'

In his quick movement, Ulquiorra's had spread reflexively. Now, he was wincing. Orihime's question replayed in his mind, and he recalled landing on them again. Hard. Ulquiorra cursed internally, reaching back to carefully readjust his wings. He was surprised—which he seemed to be a lot lately—when two pairs of gentle hands came to help him. Orihime and Nemu's.

"You have to be more careful, Little Bat." Nemu said in a light scolding tone. Orihime was too perplexed observing Ulquiorra's ever changing facial expression to say anything, but she nodded her head.

"Thank you." Ulquiorra said quietly after his wings were straightened. Orihime's lips formed a small "o". Had Ulquiorra just…said _thank you_? To _her_!

Ulquiorra got to his feet and spread his wings fully. Flapping them experimentally, he rose to the air. The two girls followed suit, getting to their feet as well. Ulquiorra hovered in the space between them. There was an awkward silence.

It was broken by Ulquiorra's yawn.

Orihime didn't know why she found this so hilarious. Maybe because of the cuteness of Ulquiorra rubbing his eyes sleepily? He looked annoyed, like a tired child who didn't want to admit he was sleepy.

"Oh Ulquiorra-san, you must be tired." Orihime said. She automatically cupped her hands in front of her, just below Ulquiorra, invitingly.

"She's right; you've been through a lot today." Nemu said. Though she didn't show it on her blank face, Nemu was surprised to realize she cared so much. Why was she so, she didn't know, protective ('?') of the experiment? 'No…he's not just an experiment.' Nemu thought, settling for her clichéd explanation. 'He's Little Bat.'

Already half asleep, Ulquiorra gradually descended into Orihime's hands. 'What's come over me?' he faintly wondered. 'Why am I so tired all of a sudden?'

As if reading his thoughts, Nemu explained. "Your spiritual pressure is extremely weakened. It's expected for you to feel drained of energy."

Ulquiorra just nodded, swaying a little on his feet. Orihime noticed this, as she was intently watching his every move, and knew he wouldn't last much longer. She looked up at Nemu and they locked gazes, a silent understanding passing between the two of them. Orihime turned and exited the kitchen with Nemu right behind her. They made their way to the front door.

"I see Kisuke Urahara was correct about your trustworthiness." Nemu said to Orihime, hands folded in front of her as was her usual stance. "I leave him in your care."

"You can count on me." Orihime smiled widely. She wasn't sure how things would work out from now on, but she just knew that no matter the terms of their previous relationship, she couldn't turn Ulquiorra away.

Nemu nodded. She bent down slightly to look at Ulquiorra, who'd seated himself in Orihime's cupped hands. "Take care, Little Bat. I will try to visit you when I can."

Ulquiorra stood up and flapped his wings, rising to Nemu's shoulder. Orihime and Nemu both watched his unexpected gesture. Ulquiorra spread his arms to hug Nemu's neck affectionately, his hair tickling her skin. Nemu raised a hand and pressed it lightly against his back, closing her eyes as she returned his 'hug'.

Orihime's jaw was dropped in shock.

After Nemu disappeared into the darkness of the night, Ulquiorra returned to Orihime's hands. She carried him to her bedroom. Then, ever so gently, she placed him on her pillow. Orihime watched as the mini Ulquiorra instantly fell asleep. His breathing evened out; his little chest rising and falling rhythmically. Orihime realized she hadn't seen him sleep before, and especially seeing it is his new form, she admitted he was pretty darn cute. How could she have had doubts about helping him now?

Orihime reached over to her night stand and turned off her lamp. She changed into her pajamas in the dark, and then crawled under her bed covers. She carefully adjusted Ulquiorra so that she could pull the edge of her comforter up to his chin as well. Orihime smiled.

'Maybe it won't be as bad as I thought.' Orihime mused. She glanced at the picture on her nightstand, which she could just barely make out in the darkness. 'What to you think Sora-nii?'

Imagining her brother telling her everything would be alright, as he always did when she was younger, Orihime fell asleep with her head near Ulquiorra.

* * *

**A/N: **Yay. Now the real adventures can begin! I am taking suggestions, so any ideas?

A reply to _Onlynameleft: _I know, isn't it interesting to see how the famously stoic Ulquiorra fares with infatuation? And yes, I realize this whole story has been predictable. That is why I'm asking for reader's suggestions ^_^ Gotta' keep you interesting don't I? What better way to satisfy readers than to ask what would satisfy them?*

***Disclaimer:** As the saying goes though, 'you can't please everybody'. Just as I rejected my sister's suggestion to kill Ulquiorra (she's crazy!), I will have to reject or adjust some ideas. Hope you guys keep R&R!

**Hint: **At the beginning of "Step 2", the quote is from a song called "What's This". Now, some of you may have heard the "Jack the Pumpkin" version. But I heard the remake of this song from an alternative metal band. If you can look up who else sings this song, you have a huge key to where the other quotes are taken from! Thanks for reading!


	6. Adjusting

**Beauty and the Bat**

**Step 5: Adjusting**

**A/N: **Okay, I really want to update my "I Bet You…", but as I said, I really want to get this story up. Thanks to those of you who review. Knowing _somebody_ reads these gives me the fuel to keep writing!

**Disclaimer: **Tite Kubo owns _Bleach_. I also do not own the lyrics posted in each chapter. Any of you know who does? Also, I do not own the mentioned _Twizzlers_ or _Bull's Eyes_. I do love both of them though!

* * *

_*~UlquixHime~*_

_~You will never know what you have done to me. You will never know losing love from me. And you will never know a single day alone. ~

* * *

_

When Orihime woke up, she was alone.

The morning sun had peeked through her curtains, casting an irritated ray of light onto her eyelids. The teen yawned. She stretched her arms above her head and her legs as far as they could reach. With her muscles relaxed, she rolled over on her side and pulled the covers over her face. She snuggled into the warmth. "Oh Schiffer-kun…" she sighed dreamily. All else was quiet for a few moments.

Hazel eyes snapped open.

"Ulquiorra-san?" Orihime gasped. She sat up too fast and had to close her eyes until the black spots disappeared. She opened them again to look down at her side.

Ulquiorra was gone.

Had it been a dream?

Orihime threw back her covers and quickly got off the bed. She searched everywhere, lifting up the pillows and even the sheets. She feared she'd smothered the poor Murcielago when she rolled over. But after a thorough inspection, she found her bed empty. Orihime breathed a sigh of relief.

"What a dream."

She slipped into her Chappy slippers (a gift from Rukia) and set to work fixing her room. Her rampage had left the debris of a tornado. When she was done, Orihime picked out her clothes, eager to get her day started. Not that she had anywhere to go. She just wanted to distract herself from the 'dream' in anyway she could. In her haste, Orihime knocked over a bottle of lotion off her dresser. And when attempting to pick it up, she kicked it under the bed (being the occasional klutz she was). Orihime sighed. 'Again?' She got down on her hands and knees.

Much earlier, Ulquiorra had woken from a very disturbing—yet pleasant—dream. And to open his emerald green eyes to the subject of his dreams not inches away…was too much for poor Ulquiorra to handle. He'd slipped out of the too large cover and hopped off the edge of the bed, flying into the main room. Ulquiorra hated leaving matters unfinished. Mustering all his strength, Ulquiorra pushed the forgotten garbage can from last night centimeter by centimeter into the kitchen. Now, too tired to lift his wings, Ulquiorra dragged them as he walked back to Orihime's room. He was planning to climb back under the covers next to her.

He wasn't planning on seeing her behind awkwardly in the air when he stepped into the doorway.

"What are you doing, woman?"

Orihime shrieked. She pulled out from under the bed, but raised her head a moment too soon. Hissing in pain, Orihime grasped the back of her head as she eased backwards with more caution.

"So it wasn't a dream." Orihime mumbled. She meant to sound cheerful because truly she was glad, but the pain in her head made the comment come out grumpily. Ulquiorra's spirits fell, misunderstanding. 'She…doesn't want me here…'

But he was proven wrong when Orihime turned around to face him. Without warning, Orihime leapt forward and scooped Ulquiorra up in her hands. She hugged him to her shoulder gently.

"Oh Ulquiorra-san, where did you go? I was worried!"

"…" how was he supposed to respond? And how could he? Ulquiorra was too astonished by her sudden action to consider it. She'd been…worried? About him? But he was her enemy! At least, he used to be... Now, Ulquiorra wasn't sure where their relationship stood except for the fact that she was supposed to be looking after him. Oh…so that was it. Their roles had been switched.

But Ulquiorra felt there was something more.

"You shouldn't disappear like that Ulquiorra-san." Orihime scolded him lightly. "Something bad could happen. Now…how about we get some breakfast?"

He had to admit that he was ashamed. He—the Cuatro Espada—had to be looked after by a teenage human girl. Pathetic.

'But then…Orihime isn't just any human girl…she's _Orihime_.' Warmed by the thought, Ulquiorra sighed into Orihime's shirt. He relaxed into the heat her body radiated and, for once since his resurrection, he was happy with his small size. He allowed Orihime to carry him to the kitchen.

* * *

_*~UlquixHime~*

* * *

_

"Please? Just try it."

"Absolutely not."

"Pretty please?"

"No."

"Come on, it's just one tiny bite!"

"What are you implying?" Ulquiorra asked defensively. He thought Orihime was poking fun at his shrunken-sized mouth.

"I didn't mean it like that." Orihime pleases. She lifted the spoon again to Ulquiorra's small face. "Just taste it, Ulquiorra-san."

"For the last time, _no_ woman."

"But why not?"

"I have no taste for the trash you humans call food." Ulquiorra said simply. He pushed away the spoon once again. Then he folded his arms. This was getting ridiculous.

Orihime sighed. She'd been trying to get Ulquiorra to taste her oatmeal. (She didn't take it offensively when he called the food 'trash', since that's what he used to refer to everything as. Orihime was glad that, after the time he'd spent in 'death', he was still the same Ulquiorra in some sort of way.) But every time she offered, he refused. So Orihime had taken to adding different ingredients, hoping to spark some appeal to his taste-buds. No such luck. In fact, with every additional topping, Orihime was obliviously making the situation worse.

Ulquiorra hardly had any experience with human food, but he was sure that chocolate syrup, hot sauce, and pickles were _not_ the normal toppings for oatmeal.

"Well, what _do_ you have a taste for?" Orihime asked.

'Souls, obviously.' Ulquiorra wanted to say. Except he realized that it would be a lie. He wasn't hungry for the tasty soul of a soul reaper at all. Was it because that, with his highly decreased spiritual pressure, he didn't need to consume souls anymore for sustenance? If so, then what would he eat?

Orihime noticed his hesitation. A gentle smile spread her lips. She got up from the table. "Maybe you just don't like oatmeal." She mused, skipping into the kitchen.

Ulquiorra shook his head in disbelief at the girl. But he realized that he preferred this foreign cheerfulness over the hopelessness she'd expressed in Hueco Mundo. He felt a tugging at his chest—guilt—knowing he'd been a reason for her solemnity back then. He'd never forgive himself knowing he was the one who had caused her to frown so deeply. Now, Ulquiorra shook his head again, this time in attempt to clear his thoughts. His green orbs shifted to the bowl left on the table. Cautiously, he approached it.

Up close, the bowl was large enough to use as a bathtub. With a stoic face but curious eyes, Ulquiorra dipped a finger into the oatmeal. He hesitantly raised it to his lips and flicked his tongue out to taste it…"Ack!"

Ulquiorra quickly covered his mouth. He took a moment to swallow the bile that had risen in his throat. The mixture was terrible! Mushy, spicy, sweet, and sour. 'Is she trying to kill me with foo—?"

"Ulquiorra-saan!"

Said creature froze. He slowly turned to face the walnut-haired girl. He expected her to have arms full of assorted exotic food that she would mix into something inedible and expect _him_ to eat it anyway. But no. Orihime just had two small packages—one in each hand. As she came closer, Ulquiorra was able to make out the labels: _Twizzlers _and _Bull's Eyes_ {Caramel Creams}. He watched warily as she set the packages on the table side by side in front of him.

"It's candy." Orihime explained. Her face was bright. "I mean, I _know_ you're not supposed to have sweets for breakfast. But this one time, I just couldn't decide what to eat for breakfast, right? And so I decided to play one of my favorite meal-picking games (that's what I do when I can't decide, you know?). So I reached into the first cabinet I opened and I didn't realize it was my _sweets'_ cabinet until I pulled out a pack of Twizzlers! Could you imagine? But I had to follow the rules of the game (because if I didn't that would be cheating and cheating is wrong.) So I ate the Twizzlers and, what do you know, my confused taste buds were satisfied!

"As for the Caramel Creams, well my friend Tatsuki… (Oh, that reminds me! Tatsuki will be back tomorrow.) But anyway, my friend Tatsuki always loved Bull's Eyes. So I bought some and it's a good thing I did because that seems to be the _only_ thing she eats when she comes over. I'm not sure why." She gasped. "What if it's some sort of eating disorder and her doctor prescribed her Caramel Creams as medication? That would be so tragic…I mean awesome but tragic, you know? (Like, I'd be _so_ sad if I found out one of my best friends had an eating disorder. I'd definitely make them eat something if I found out. But anyway…)

"I mean if _I _had an eating disorder—which I _don't_, contrary to what people think when they see the food I eat. Yes, I know what they say; I'm not stupid like they believe I am because I pretend to be—I hope I wouldn't have to stick to one food for the rest of my life. I love trying new things, you know? That's why I started playing the meal-picking games by the way. Which I guess brings us back to how I chose candy for breakfast. Heh-heh…"

The girl giggled nervously and rubbed the back of her neck at the end of her monologue. She looked down, suddenly aware that Ulquiorra hadn't said _anything_ while she was talking. Or even _before_ she even _started_ talking. 'I should really work on that.' Orihime giggled inwardly. She wondered what Ulquiorra would say about her babbling.

During her endless speech, Ulquiorra had reached into the open bag of Bull's Eyes and figured out how to unwrap the candy. He chose these over the Twizzlers because the rope-like candy was as tall as he was if not taller…and that fact annoyed him. Now, Ulquiorra was looking up at Orihime with round eyes and the round candy in his hands.

'She stopped talking?' Ulquiorra noticed. And it wasn't in the sarcastic way he used to comment when he'd first met her in Hueco Mundo. At one point, the girl had tried to befriend him out of loneliness and boredom, but it was to no avail. Back then, Ulquiorra wondered if it was normal for humans to talk so much. This time, he was disappointed. He'd been enjoying the warmth that filled him when her voice reached his ears.

Orihime noticed the down expression on the little Espada's face and assumed it was because he wasn't sure what to do now. Orihime smiled and plucked out a Bull's Eye for herself. She took off its wrapper.

"See, you can pull it apart. Like this." Orihime demonstrated, tugging the circle apart. Ulquiorra watched as the caramel ring stretched and ripped to expose the white center of cream. "Tatsuki likes the caramel best. But _I_ prefer the cream." With this, Orihime placed the small cylinder of cream onto her tongue. She relished in the cool, sweet taste that began to dissolve in her mouth. "Mm…Ok. Now, the caramel's a little chewy. Okay, _very_ chewy. But it's still good." Orihime finished the candy.

Ulquiorra looked down at his own Bull's Eye. He wanted to follow Orihime's instructions…but he grudgingly had to admit that in his current state, pulling the tough caramel apart would be a bit of a challenge. That irritated him. Ulquiorra furrowed his brow and subconsciously stuck his little tongue out in concentration as he worked to dismantle the candy.

Orihime took in his expression and couldn't help but giggle.

"What is so funny?" Ulquiorra inquired, glancing up at her. If his cheeks hadn't been marked with the thick black lines, you could've seen the faint blush that heated his pale face.

"It's nothing, nothing at all." Orihime said. But she was still smiling. Ulquiorra felt an odd sensation in his chest. He only now realized that he'd never seen her smile back in Hueco Mundo. And, again, it had been partially his fault.

Ulquiorra pushed down the building guilt and other lighter emotion, focusing on the candy again. Finally, he managed to pull the thing apart. He took the cream first. It was solid but fragile in his small hands; he'd had to loosen his hold on it when his fingers began to dig into the cream, threatening to crumble it. Ulquiorra lifted the treat to his mouth and took a bite, trusting Orihime's delighted reaction. He wondered if he'd regret doing so...

Ulquiorra froze. The sweetness of the cream filled his mouth, soothing his tongue. He'd never tasted something so…awesome. The sensation was delightful, and he felt as if he were in Heaven. Emerald eyes looked up in awe at his angel. Her silvery hazel eyes gazed down at him, gauging his reaction with satisfaction. Her slightly messy but glowing auburn hair framed her face. Their eyes were locked: his open in surprise, hers softened. And Ulquiorra realized something. He loved…

…the candy.

He loved _the candy_, he repeated forcefully to himself. He was trying to ignore the little part of himself that wanted to end that statement differently.

* * *

_*~UlquixHime~*

* * *

_

"_Now_ what are you doing?"

Ulquiorra asked, hovering in the air outside Orihime's closet. The female teen was in there, searching for who knows what. Every now and then, she would toss an article of clothing that was in her way over her shoulder…each of which just barely missed Ulquiorra. If he were his old self, the Cuatro Espada would've been annoyed and deemed her actions meaningless and a waste of time. But now, as had been happening often lately, Ulquiorra found his curiosity spiked.

"Ah! There it is." came the girl's voice. It was muffled because she was so deep in the closet. Ulquiorra lowered himself in the air, coming closer to the closet entrance. Bad move.

Ulquiorra yelped as he smacked into the back of Orihime's head. She was pulling something out the closet right at the time Ulquiorra was coming to investigate. Orihime gasped and looked over her shoulder, down at the Murcielago. He'd been taken off guard. Again. He was on the ground. _Again_. He'd landed on his wings. _Again!_

"Are you okay, Ulquiorra-san?" Orihime said, setting the large object in her hands down on the floor. In turn, she scooped up the cursing Ulquiorra. "I'm sorry…"

"It's not your fault…" Ulquiorra mumbled, embarrassed and annoyed with his self rather than the walnut-haired girl.

Orihime looked him over to inspect the damage. She gasped softly. "Oh, your poor wings again…" Orihime said guiltily. She gently began to straighten them out.

The two were silent. Ulquiorra put on his well-practiced stoic mask. But in actuality, Ulquiorra reveled in her touch. Her warm fingers sent cold shivers up his spine as she massaged the wings back into proper position. Ulquiorra sighed involuntarily. 'What's come over me?' he wondered faintly. But at the moment he didn't care. Ulquiorra almost snorted at the cliché of the moment. It was like the human movies he'd read about back in the library of Las Noches: you know, the one moment where the main characters were instantly drawn together over some random incident. But Ulquiorra didn't believe this was one of those moments. Still, his long, whip-like tail swished back and forth slightly against Orihime's palm. Like a dog's when it was pleased.

Orihime giggled slightly. "That tickles."

Her voice brought Ulquiorra back to where he was, which was standing in Orihime's hand. His wings were good as new, but Orihime hadn't removed her gentle slender fingers. Instead, she was stroking one of the wings with the lightest of touches.

"What are you—?"

"Hey Ulquiorra-san?"

"Hm?" Ulquiorra blinked. Her voice was suddenly serious and he wondered about the reason for the change.

"Why are you still in your Segunda Etapa form?" Orihime asked, genuinely curious. "But your eyes are the normal green instead of gold and black…why is that?"

Ulquiorra was surprised. Of all the things, he hadn't expected her to point those out. In fact, he hadn't really thought about it, and now that she brought it up, he was curious as well.

"I…don't know." Ulquiorra said, sounding quite unsure.

"Hm…"Orihime thought for a minute. A few actually…during which she and Ulquiorra kept their eyes locked on the other's. At first, they were both focused on why Ulquiorra was resurrected into this form. Shouldn't the release have worn off as he lost his spiritual pressure? They wondered.

But soon they were both distracted by the other. Orihime realized she'd always be fascinated by her captor's eyes. The rich emerald-jade color was usually hard and cold, like jewels themselves. Just one good stare would leave even the strongest warrior rendered speechless. Ulquiorra's eyes penetrated you to the core of your being, rightfully earning him the title of 'he whose eyes see all'. How many times had Orihime felt those too-green eyes bore into her? Each time he came to her cell; threatening to shove the food down her throat if she didn't eat. The same blank stare every time he'd come to wake her and remind her of her curfew. The same flat gaze when she assured him that her friends would come to her rescue. The same emotionless look when she'd…slapped him. Orihime still wondered why he hadn't killed her for that.

But over time, Orihime had come to notice the tiniest glimmer of emotion in those well composed eyes: the hints of anger, annoyance…amusement. And Orihime had come to love Ulquiorra's eyes. Especially now, when his eyes were, for once, truly windows to his soul.

Ulquiorra was equally intrigued. He'd seen the defiance and determination in Orihime's orbs back when he first took her prisoner. He'd watched the light in them fade from sparkling silver, to a muddy brown. He hated that part. And then, he'd clearly seen the anger that flared in her eyes that day when he went too far in speaking against her friends. But before that, Ulquiorra noticed a change. After a while, each time he'd come to check on her, Orihime's eyes would gain a little bit more of their warmth back. Ulquiorra still wondered why the sight of him had begun to comfort her. Perhaps because he was the only one allowed to see her on a regular basis…? Ulquiorra wasn't sure. He doubted Orihime herself had even noticed the change.

Indeed, Ulquiorra had come to…_take interest_ in the girl's eyes. But now—now that he was standing as a mini him, in her hand, looking up at her—Ulquiorra's emotions grew. He realized he'd come to love something else today. He'd come to love her…

…_eyes_.

He loved her _eyes_, he repeated forcefully to himself. He was still trying to ignore the growing part of himself that wanted to end that statement differently.

**Awkward…**

"_SO_—ahem—woman..." Ulquiorra cleared his small throat, deciding to end his thoughts there. His outburst cracked the silence (much like his voice had cracked) that had befallen the room. Orihime giggled a little.

"What _is_ that?" he asked, blushing slightly. He pointed behind Orihime at the forgotten object she'd pulled out of the closet.

"Hm?" Orihime glanced down over her shoulder. Her eyes brightened from seriousness to excitement. "Oh!" She looked back at him. "It's my old Barbi—I mean a dol—I mean a _house_." She stammered.

"Obviously. But why is it so small?"

"Um…" Orihime rubbed her head with her free hand. Would he be offended if she told him it was built for Barbie Dolls, therefore comparing him to a Barbie Doll? _'No…more like a Ken Doll…' _Orihime mused. Aloud she said, "It's…it's not small, it's fun sized…?"

"I see. And what were you intending to do with a 'fun-sized', pink and white house?"

"Um…" Orihime mustered up the courage she'd used back in Hueco Mundo. She looked down at him seriously. "It's for you."

…

"_Excuse_ me?"

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry, the ending for this was a little rushed (I have to go to Crew in like ten minutes and it's all the way downtown!), but I wanted to get this posted. Shout-out to _Onlynameleft_ for the idea of the Barbie house. You're awesome! ^_^ See ya' next chapter!


	7. Hating

**Beauty and the Bat**

**Step 6: Hating**

**A/N: **Thanks to those of you who have read this far. Especially to those of you who have alerted, favorited, and reviewed…Your words give me the inspiration to keep writing TT_TT *standing on a large mound of sand with pen in hand; waves crashing behind and sun beaming above*. I know there hasn't been much inappropriateness (at least I don't think…), and you might be wondering why this is Rated T…I'm wondering the same thing right now. But fear not, things will get more interesting soon. 'Til then, enjoy the bit of innocent kawaiiness. After all, patience is a virtue ^_^

**Disclaimer: **Tite Kubo owns _Bleach_. I also do not own the lyrics posted in each chapter. I've decided to tell you who does…so please listen to the songs! More importantly, _**Onlynameleft**_ is the one who came up with the Barbie™ doll-house idea. Hope you like it!

**Warning:** Bit o' language.

* * *

_*~UlquixHime~*_

_~Supernatural patience graces her face and her voice never raises…all because of a love. Never let go of…never let go of…~ Supernatural by Flyleaf

* * *

_

"_Excuse_ me?"

Orihime flinched at the venom in his voice. Even if he was only half a foot tall and his voice was slightly higher in pitch, this was still Ulquiorra. And he was scary enough when his words lacked emotion. But now that he was expressive…

"It's…um…for you?" Orihime repeated. But her previous moment of courage was over and this time it came out sounding like a question.

Ulquiorra was too heated to respond.

No, not because of Orihime (although he was a bit annoyed by her _idea_, but not by her)... He was angry at that damned Kurotsuchi. That cracked-up clown. Who was he to make Ulquiorra this way? If he was such a great scientist, shouldn't he have found a way to turn Ulquiorra back to normal?

Secondly, Ulquiorra was angry at himself. If only he had been stronger…he would not have become a hollow in the first place. He wouldn't have had to serve that bastard Aizen…And he wouldn't have been defeated by that orange-haired Vizard!

Ulquiorra had come to hate Ichigo Kurosaki. That hot-headed fool. How had _he_ turned out to be stronger than Ulquiorra? The Cuatro hated Kurosaki for different reasons. First, he had dared to interfere with Aizen (-ex-sama)'s plans. Then, he had _killed_ Ulquiorra (even if he was alive now)! But more importantly, Ulquiorra hated the boy simply because

Orihime loved Ichigo Kurosaki.

The thought made Ulquiorra ball his fists by his side and his scowl deepened. Yes, he'd realized that Orihime had feelings for the substitute-soul reaper. It was evident every time she'd claimed her friends would come to save her. He'd known she'd wanted to say, "_he's_ coming to save me" every time she said "they". And her love for the Vizard was even more painfully obvious as Orihime called out for Kurosaki whenever she was in trouble. But no matter how much that hurt, Ulquiorra wasn't angry at Orihime. No. He was angry at Kurosaki, the jerk, who took _forever_ to come and answer the girl's calls.

Ulquiorra hated remembering Orihime as Aizen's prisoner. He hated the memory of her thinning figure and paling complexion; her dying eyes. Ulquiorra hated himself for not being the one who could have helped the girl.

Basically, Ulquiorra officially hated three people: Mayuri Kurotsuchi, Ichigo Kurosaki, and, himself, Ulquiorra Schiffer.

"Ummm…Ulquiorra-san?"

The hot and evil feeling that had been consuming Ulquiorra's mind suddenly dissolved, ridded by the voice of an angel. Ulquiorra looked up.

"Are you okay? You kind of…zoned out for a minute." Orihime said. "I mean there's nothing wrong with zoning out since I do it all the time…but it just doesn't seem…like you." Concern furrowed her eyebrows. Her face—Ulquiorra realized with a skip of his heart beat—was only inches in front of him. She'd felt the strange aura rolling off the Espada in waves and had leaned in to try and decipher the emotion in his dazed-stare.

Ulquiorra cleared his throat (he was still embarrassed about his voice cracking earlier). "I'm fine." He said lowly. He didn't want to upset the girl by confessing his hate for the boy she loved. Instead, he spread his wings and hopped off of Orihime's hand. He flapped down to the 'fun-sized' house that had begun this whole situation. How had he forgotten about it?

Ulquiorra grudgingly admitted that it would fit him. There were three stories, bringing the house to leer over him at three-feet tall. He was faced with two pairs of white double doors as entrances. To the right of one of the glass-paned entrance was a window, lined with miniature fake plants in the flowerbox. Above that (on the second floor) was a row of three more windows. To the left of that (also on the second floor, above the paned-door entrance) was a larger window. To the left of _that_ (above the horizontal-blinded-door entrance) was an even _larger_ window. Through this one, Ulquiorra could see the room and furniture it held (at least, what he could make out from this angle). Next to that were two long windows, exposing the winding staircase inside. The stairs led up to the single-roomed third floor, which only had one small window. Like an attic. The entire house was pink, including the shingled roofs.{}

"I'm sorry. I can always repaint it." Orihime said nervously. "I mean if you want. Unless you like pink..? And I can get some more curtains for all the windows. Sorry…I only wanted to give you some privacy…I didn't mean to, like, insult you or anything…and I'm sorry if—"

"There's no need to apologize. I understand you are only trying to be considerate." Ulquiorra said, looking up at her. His green eyes were soft: he was touched that Orihime would care to make him more comfortable (even if it wasn't in the most favorable of ways). "So thank you."

Orihime blinked in surprise. He wasn't _angry_ at her for suggesting he stay in a _doll house_? Orihime was temporarily shocked. But then her eyes softened as well. "There's no need to thank me." She said, smiling. "Really, I'll get the paint and curtains and everything! Just leave it to me. It'll be like one of those home make-over shows and you'll come home one day and everything will be just like you dreamed it could be and then you're so happy you invite the whole crew: the painters, the decorators, the designers, the director and producer, the camera people…even the doughnut boy! You know, the interim who wants to be a big star but the guy with the mega-phone says the interim has to start off small before he can go to Hollywood? So he starts him off with small jobs like fetching his dry-cleaning and Krispy-Kreme-Doughnuts®. I just love the 'behind-the-scenes' of those shows. The people all inspire me to work hard just like the doughnut boy!"

* * *

_*~UlquixHime~*

* * *

_

"Don't stop yet Ulquiorra-san."

"But this is becoming tiresome…" he huffed.

"Just keep going."

"Why do _I_ have to do all the work?"

"Because _you're_ the one who said you wanted to do it."

"But I didn't think it would be energy-draining…"

"Yeah well…for your first time, you're doing great Ulquiorra-san."

"This is not my first time."

"Oh? When—"

There was a loud knock at the front door.

"Coming," Orihime called. She reached for a towel to wipe off her hands. She looked over her shoulder as she headed out the kitchen. "Keep stirring Ulquiorra-san. I'll take over when I come back."

"That will not…be necessary. The cake batter…will be complete prior…to your return." Ulquiorra said in between strokes. He was flying in a circle above a large bowl, pushing a large wooden spoon. He'd volunteered to take on the task of mixing all the ingredients for the chocolate cake that would be a 'welcome home' gift for her friend Tatsuki. He had his work cut out for him.

Orihime giggled. Complaining was Ulquiorra's new thing. But she knew that once Ulquiorra accepted a task, he wouldn't abandon it until his mission was complete. Ulquiorra was stubborn like that, and Orihime found that she admired him for his determination.

"Oh! Hello there, Ishida-kun." Orihime greeted brightly as she opened the door. Indeed, there stood the navy-haired Quincy. He was wearing a plain white polo shirt with gray slacks. Orihime noticed that whenever he wasn't in his Quincy uniform, he wore his school uniform or something that resembled it.

"Good afternoon, Inoue-san." He said, pushing his glasses. "How are you?"

"I'm just great!" Orihime grinned because it was true for once in a long time. "How are you today?"

"I am fine." Uryu replied. He glanced over her shoulder and into the apartment as if searching for something.

"Um, well come on in." Orihime said. She kept the smile on her face but inside she was nervous. How was she going to explain Ulquiorra to Uryu? She just hoped Little Bat would stay preoccupied in the kitchen until she could think of something.

'I should just act natural. That won't be hard at all.' She decided.

Inside, Uryu accepted Orihime's offer to sit on the couch. The girl sat in one of the recliner chairs—the one nearest the small shrine to her brother—across the coffee table. She didn't always have so much furniture, but ever since she'd been told to stay indoors, she'd needed more to accommodate for her friends' regular visits. Soft classical music came from the stereo in the corner near the shrine. The two teens sat there, thankful for the music that filled the awkward silence. Finally, Orihime decided to say something. "Soo, Ishida-ku—"

"Where is he?"

"Umm, what?" Orihime blinked her large gray-hazel eyes. "Who?"

"The Cuatro Espada; Ulquiorra Schiffer." Uryu answered evenly.

Orihime's eyes widened slightly and her heart sped up a bit, but she expertly hid her surprise in feigned confusion. ""H-huh? What do you mean Ishida-kun? Ul-Ulquiorra-san is…you were there. Kurosaki-kun defeated him on top of Las Noches…he's gone."

"I know he's here." Uryu said sternly. Then he softened his tone, but continued to stare at Orihime seriously. "If you don't mind Inoue-san…I really need to talk to him. I have to…apologize for something."

"Um…" Orihime rubbed the back of her head. What was she supposed to say? She knew she should trust Uryu: he was her friend. But for some reason, she felt very…protective of Ulquiorra. Plus, she wondered how the Quincy even knew Ulquiorra was there. Could he have possible felt the tiniest glimmer of Little Bat's remaining reiatsu?

"_I know he's here…"_

Was Uryu _stalking_ her? Orihime inwardly gasped. 'That would be so cool! I'd be like one of those unsuspecting girls in the movies! But then again…if Ishida-kun was the stalker, it would be creepy because we're friends and all…Just imagine him setting up cameras and microphones in the apartment. In the bathroom? Eek!'

"Inoue-san?"

"Hm?" Orihime snapped out of her thoughts, focusing on the boy across from her. "Oh right; Ulquiorra-san. Right. Ulquiorra-san!"

They waited. Orihime was watching the kitchen doorway, expecting to see him flying in. He didn't. They waited another minute. The classical music continued to play.

"Um, Ulquiorra-san?" Orihime called again. Nothing. He was still in the kitchen, right? She stood up, suddenly feeling anxious. Louder, she yelled, "Ulquiorra-san!"

"I'm down here. No need to shout."

Orihime and Uryu looked down in surprise to see Ulquiorra, who'd just climbed up one of the legs of the table and now stood before them. He was tired from stirring the cake batter and had had to walk from the kitchen to the main room as soon as he heard his princess's voice.

"Oh, there you are. Sorry I didn't see you…" Orihime giggled lightly. Ulquiorra's eye twitch, his pride once again taking a violent poke. But he wasn't angry. Orihime's voice wouldn't let him be.

"Well here I am." Ulquiorra said, watching as she knelt by the table. "So what is it that you require of me?"

Someone cleared their throat behind him. "Actually, it was I who requested to see you."

Ulquiorra jumped at the voice. He spun around with wide eyes to see the Quincy peering down at him. How had he been so distracted with answering Orihime's call that he hadn't noticed her…guest?

'He's here to kill me. Kurotsuchi-san isn't here. He's going to kill me.' Ulquiorra thought over and over again. 'Orihime…help me…'

In panic, Ulquiorra backed away to the edge of the table. He turned and jumped…throwing his arms out as he landed on the cushion that was Orihime's bosom. He clung to her shirt desperately, burying his face in it.

"Ulquiorra-san, what are you…?" Orihime's eyes widened. She observed in fascination.

Ulquiorra Schiffer, 4th strongest in Aizen's seemingly invincible army, was trembling in fright.

He didn't know what was happening. But suddenly he felt light headed. And he was breathing too deeply, making it feel as if he would suffocate anyway. The dream/ nightmare from last night replayed in his mind.

* * *

_*~UlquixHime~*

* * *

_

"_Oh Schiffer-kun..."_

_They sat together: her in front of him as he wrapped his arms around her waist; his chin resting on her shoulder. They sat in peace, floating in space. (His mind didn't bother making up the scenery, he was just focused on her.) _

"_Are you afraid of me woman?" he asked softly, regretting it immediately. He wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer._

_She turned her head to see his face. Hazel eyes met green. "I'm not afraid." She said. And he instantly filled with a strange sort of warmth, starting in his chest: right where his hollow hole should have been, but wasn't. _

"_I see." He replied simply and hugged her closer to him. She sighed. They sat there for an eternity, just enjoying the other's presence. He felt light, as if he could float away at any moment. But she kept him anchored to his spot, and for that he was grateful. Nothing could ruin this moment. _

"_Get away from her!"_

_And all at once he was standing on the roof of Las Noches, in his Segunda Etapa form, facing a very much tattered orange-haired Shinigami. The boy put up his hand, pointing a finger at him. An all black Cero began to form. The boy fired._

_Why couldn't he move? His feet were frozen in shock. At the last moment, he pushed the girl in his arms out of harm's way. He couldn't let her die. He waited to the Cero to hit him instead. As it came toward him, the energy transformed, turning into a black arrow of reiatsu. It pierced him right below his neck, leaving a horrid hole through which you could see to the other side. The hole of a hollow. He didn't feel physical pain though. He was numb as he stared at his murderer. It wasn't the orange haired boy. It was a boy with navy hair and glasses._

"_Good bye for real, Cuatro Espada Ulquiorra Schiffer!"_

_Ulquiorra looked at the girl he loved so much. That's when he felt pain: the pain of despair. No, he couldn't die now! He hadn't told her he loved her! But he couldn't talk. Something was holding his voice back now. So he did the only thing he thought could reach her…he stretched his hand out toward her. She reached out to meet him. He could feel himself fading into consciousness (the sunlight from Orihime's window was shining on his eyes). Their fingers grazed, not making full contact, but he could feel her warmth enveloping him. And since there was now a hole in his chest, he instead felt something in his hand even as it disappeared from view. An unfamiliar, pleasant feeling._

He couldn't place the name for it before he woke up, right next to his dream-girl's face.

* * *

_*~UlquixHime~*

* * *

_

"Its okay, Ulquiorra-san." Orihime said softly. She was holding him to her chest with one hand and gently stroking his hair with the thumb of the other. "There's no need to be afraid; it's only Ishida-san. He won't hurt you."

Ulquiorra gripped her shirt tighter. He couldn't help it. The dream made him realize something now that Orihime helped him discover the 'heart'. "He's going to kill me." He whispered shakily. "I don't want to die…Not again…"

"Oh Ulquiorra-san…" Orihime sighed sadly. "He won't hurt you." She looked up at Uryu as if to say, "_right_?"

Uryu had to sit back.

He'd never seen this…this sharpness in Inoue before. He'd seen her determined and stubborn, sure. But never…_threatening_. Like, _make him feel better NOW before I chop your head off and serve it with Miso and jelly bean-pudding_ threatening. Where the hell did _that_ come from? He had no idea. But for the first time ever, he was scared of more than just her cooking… he was intimidated by _her_.

"U-um…yeah, Schiffer-san." Uryu said, composing himself. He looked down at the creature that clung so helplessly to his friend. "That's actually why I came…I wanted to apologize for…last night.

"It was extremely out of line of me to attack you like that and I sincerely apologize. It was highly cowardly to attack a defenseless and vulnerable being like yourself. And I'd like to thank you for saving me back in Las Noches…Well, you didn't save me, but for stopping Kurosaki before he killed me. You were probably only doing it for your own benefit, but still I am grateful. And I realize that attacking you in Kisuke Urahara's shop was definitely _not_ the proper way to show gratitude. So once again, you have my deepest apologies."

They waited for Ulquiorra to respond. At first, he didn't move from his defensive huddle against Orihime's chest. But then, he lifted his lifted his head. He tried to subtly wipe his eyes, but it did not go unnoticed by the two who were watching his every move carefully. And they couldn't believe what they saw. He'd been…crying!

Uryu felt even guiltier than before. Yes, it was ludicrous to pity his enemies for simply upsetting them. Heck, he should have _enjoyed_ making his enemies cry and beg for mercy. But this one was different. Why oh why did he feel so terrible for making this cute little creature cry?

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Whoa….Whoa. Did he just call Ulquiorra _cute_? What the _fuck_?

But his description wasn't wrong. Ulquiorra _was _cute. Little Bat had turned his head to look at Uryu, now completely over his psychologically induced hyperventilation. In fact, for a moment, Ulquiorra looked cross. Like, not embarrassed or angry. Or hateful. Just…cross. His little bottom lip was poked out just a bit and his emerald eyes were wide and hopeful, yet slightly weary. Why was Little Bat 'cross' and making such an uncharacteristic expression?

It was because some soft emotion had taken over and he was…_disappointed_ with the Quincy's actions.

'Once again,' Uryu thought, 'where the hell did _that_ come from?'

"It's ok…" Ulquiorra sighed. The expression was gone, leaving no sort of evidence that it was been there in the first place. (Had Uryu imagined it? But what reason would he have to?) Ulquiorra's eyes were flat, as was his voice. "Just don't do it again."

* * *

_*~UlquixHime~*

* * *

_

After the odd display in the main room, Orihime and Uryu continued to discuss trivial things. Ulquiorra, who'd been emotionally tired-out, retreated to his Barbi—ahem—_house _in Orihime's room. He went in through the glass-paned door, finding himself in the house's 'living room'. There was still some furniture left in there from when Orihime used to play with the house as a girl. Ulquiorra was too tired to appreciate the 'him'-sized couch, coffee table and lamp on a stand. He turned right and started up the winding staircase.

On the second floor, he was greeted with a bedroom, complete with 'him'-sized pink-canopied bed, vanity and pink bean-bag chair. {./_Z5Cmx4Q1Wy8/SoL8nkC-tTI/AAAAAAAAA78/U_CWFgrEd20/s400/Barbie+Dream+} Ulquiorra sighed. He wasn't in any mood to comment on the unwanted color. He walked over to the bed and flopped down, at least grateful that it was soft and not super-plastic-fake. He closed his eyes.

"Really, thank you for coming, Ishida-kun." Orihime said brightly, standing at the door. She and Uryu had sat for hours after Ulquiorra, discussing said Murcielago. Orihime told him about how Nemu had brought him last night. Uryu admitted to exactly how he'd attacked Ulquiorra. Uryu also swore that he wouldn't tell anyone else about the situation. But he didn't tell her about why he was being so lenient.

As Uryu walked through the neighborhood, he thought back to his chat with Urahara the previous night; after Nemu left to take Ulquiorra to Orihime's. He'd told Uryu how, without Ulquiorra under the respective supervision of Mayuri Kurotsuchi (who would either be successful in his plan or be forced to get rid of him), Ulquiorra was considered a threat to the Soul Society no matter how small. Therefore, anyone associating with him was considered a traitor who had to be punished. This included Nemu (obviously) himself (Kisuke), and Orihime.

This basically meant that Orihime would be in trouble if the Soul Society found out that she was housing the Espada, even if it was against her will.

'That bastard. Hasn't Orihime been through enough?' Uryu thought. And he wasn't sure if he was talking about Kisuke for suggesting Orihime anyway…or Ulquiorra for simply existing.

Meanwhile, Orihime had just wrapped the cake batter and put it in the fridge. She'd bake the cake in the morning so it would be fresh for Tatsuki's arrival. Orihime took a shower and put on her pajamas in the bathroom (brushing her teeth and all that jazz), then padded across the hall to her bedroom. She checked her bed before going over to the doll house arranged in the corner. She smiled when she peeked over the top to see Ulquiorra curled up on the mini Murphy bed.

Orihime yawned and went over to slide under her own covers. "Good night, Ulquiorra-san." She said quietly to the dark room. She said her prayers for the usual people: Sora, Tatsuki, Ichigo, Rukia, Uryu, Chad; everyone at school and in her neighborhood everyone she'd met in the Soul Society (especially Nemu), and even everyone in Hueco Mundo. It's not like they _asked_ to be so-called monsters. Most of all, Orihime prayed for the one who slept in the room with her.

Not too long after Orihime fell asleep, there was movement in the room. Ulquiorra subliminally flapped his wings, as silently as a bat in the night, over to Orihime's bed. He settled into the space between her neck and shoulder on the pillow.

'Much better…' he distantly registered. Then his breathing evened out and he was fully asleep again.

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, this chapter was originally a filler. I mean, I wasn't sure what to have them do today since Tatsuki (a major asset to the plot) hasn't arrived yet. And then there was Uryu. So after a few tries, I found a way to fit him into the story. Hopefully everything's not too random. And yes, Ulquiorra was very OOC. But then, he kind of is in any after-Ash-chapter fanfic, right? Discovering the heart would change anyone drastically.

_**SPECIAL THANKS TO:**_ _Sajintmm, Summerrayah, Foxgirl18, Airi-07, BleachedFighter, Kichou, CheshiireKiitten, and Onlynameleft_ for the awesome reviews of awesomeness! You guys all get Little Bat plushies! :D


	8. Craving

**Beauty and the Bat**

**Step 7: Craving**

**A/N: **I realized while writing this that even seemingly-filler chapters are important to the main plot. So even if you get bored, know that it all ties together (at least I think it will; I haven't written that far ahead .). Thanks so much for the reading! Hope you enjoy ^_^

**Disclaimer:** Tite Kubo owns _Bleach_. I also do not own the lyrics posted in each chapter. I've decided to tell you who does…so please listen to the songs!

* * *

_*~UlquixHime~*_

_~I have made you an enemy. I have been my own enemy…I am asking for you to forgive me for everything. If you don't, you're worthy of compassion, If you do, you're a better man than I am. If you don't know, you're my family…Enemy, I'm sorry…~ Enemy by Flyleaf

* * *

_

Ulquiorra slept in late. And he would have slept longer if the warmth engulfing him through the night hadn't suddenly disappeared. With a small shiver, Ulquiorra slowly opened his eyes. After a second, they widened fully.

'Where am I?'

Emeralds took in their surroundings as Ulquiorra sat up. He was on something soft: a pillow. Oh. Orihime's pillow. On Orihime's bed. In Orihime's room. 'How did I get here?' he briefly wondered, but a more important question arose. 'Where is Orihime?'

Ulquiorra didn't have much time to ponder this before something else caught his attention. Something warm and sweet smelling. Setting him on a sort of high, the scent tapped on Ulquiorra's tiny nose saying, 'smell me, I'm delicious…' Ulquiorra sighed. He found his mouth full of more saliva than usual and swallowed. What was this appetizing aroma? He had to know.

Humming brightly, Orihime spread the last of the frosting onto the cake. "Done…" then she set to squeezing frosting flowers around the rim and situated a large sliced strawberry in the middle. "…aaand done."

The smell of the fresh baked chocolate wafted throughout the flat. Sunlight streamed in through the windows, illuminating each room. Another classical CD played in the main room. The heat was on to ward off any autumn chill. Orihime usually didn't turn on the heat until the dead of winter—if even then—seeing as she didn't have a job yet to pay so many bills. But as compensation for making her stay indoors, Kisuke Urahara insisted on making Orihime's home as comfy as possible.

So here she was, on a Sunday afternoon, in the comfort of her warm, sweet-smelling abode.

"What _is_ that?"

Orihime, who'd just covered the cake and was planning to put it in the fridge, now paused to look over her shoulder. She laughed lightly. "Well good afternoon, 'Bed-head'-san."

Ulquiorra hummed in response and self consciously smoothed his hair around his horns. Then, with his nose still guiding him forward, he flew over and perched himself on the counter near the cake. "Is this the source?" he asked in a daze.

"Um…of the smell? Yeah. It's chocolate." Orihime said, proud of the Human World product. "Do you like chocolate?"

"I…don't know." Ulquiorra answered. He wasn't sure why he felt so…drawn to this so-called 'chocolate'. I mean, _emotions_ were new to him, not the five senses. But…well maybe it was because for once, he has the taste for something other than souls. Maybe it was because, now that he had a 'heart', he wanted things he'd never wanted before. Whatever the reason, Ulquiorra knew he had to have some chocolate.

"Well, here." Orihime reached into a drawer and fished out a spoon. She uncovered the cake and took a generous scoop of it, offering it to the Espada. "It's really good. You'll like it, I promise."

"…It's your friend's cake." Ulquiorra stated.

"Ah, Tatsuki won't care. I always taste test the cake first to make sure it's okay. I mean, _I_ think it would be better with some soy sauce, but Tatsuki likes to stick to the recipe and she's my best friend so I can't refuse, you know?"

"…" Ulquiorra gripped the ladle of the spoon and licked a bit of the chocolate frosting. His eyes widened. He took another lick. And another. And another.

Because, as all chocoholics know, you can't stop once you start.

* * *

_*~UlquixHime~*

* * *

_

"Um…Ulquiorra-san? I don't think you can have chocolate anymore."

"What? Why not?"

"Well…I think it makes you…hyper."

"I am nothing of the sort."

"Oh really? Well what do you call that?" Orihime asked knowingly, pointing at him.

Ulquiorra was standing on the coffee table. His arms were folded and his face was stoic, but his tail but switching back and forth again, like a snake weaving through water only in jerkier motions. And every minute or so, Ulquiorra would subconsciously spread his shivering wings for a few moments…just to fold them back in. It was like he was having muscle spasms or something.

"I don't know what you're referring to." Ulquiorra said calmly. But his wings spread and shook again, contradicting his denial.

"See? Right there; you're doing it again."

"What do you mean?" his wings folded back in.

Orihime sighed. "Never mind."

For a few minutes, the two just sat there: Ulquiorra twitching every now and then on the table; Orihime was watching him from the couch.

'I never thought him to be a light-weight.' Orihime was musing. 'I didn't even know he _liked_ chocolate. Hmm…maybe it's his new body. Well, no because it's his same body, just smaller. Maybe he's always liked chocolate..? But I can't see Ulquiorra as the type with a sweet tooth. Hmm…'

Ulquiorra sighed and ran his tongue over his teeth. He wanted more chocolate, but he didn't know why. He'd never wanted anything more intensely.

…well, besides Orihime. But that wasn't the point here.

Soon there was a knock on the door. "Coming," Orihime called automatically. She stood and quickly crossed the room to the stereo, where music was still playing. She exchanged the slow classical for a much more upbeat disc. Ulquiorra wondered why, but couldn't ask before Orihime swept her way to the front door.

She unlocked it and swung it open to reveal a brown eyed girl with short, slightly spiky black hair. She was wearing a white jacket over a dark blue t-shirt with jeans. Orihime's best friend: Tatsuki Arisawa. She stood with a large cardboard box in her arms.

"Tatsuki!"

"Hey, Orihime!" her friend greeted equally as brightly, sporting a grin. "What's up?"

"Not much." Orihime lied. Tatsuki didn't know about Ulquiorra; Orihime had left him out of her whole explanation when questioned upon her return from Hueco Mundo. So she hoped that now, she'd be able to pass Ulquiorra off as a pet if Tatsuki was curious. "Come on in."

"Thanks." Tatsuki slid off her shoes inside the door and carried the box into the apartment. "My grandma was cleaning out her attic again and she found some stuff she thought you might like. I figured I'd go through it with you. You know, make sure the crazy old lady didn't 'accidentally' pack you any bats." She chuckled at the thought of her grandmother: a dark haired woman who looked much younger than she actually was thanks to years of exercise (she'd been a black-belt just like Tatsuki). Orihime's tendency to be…_out there_ reminded Tatsuki greatly of her mother's mother.

Orihime laughed lightly, but stopped when she saw Tatsuki putting the bow down. "Wait, don't—!"

But it was too late. The large box was on the coffee table. Right where the mini Ulquiorra had been sitting a minute ago. Something that big could easily crush, say, a six-inch tall bat-creature. 'Oh no!' Orihime rushed over to the table and lifted the box—which thankfully wasn't as heavy as she expected.

"What's wrong Orihime?" Tatsuki asked in confusion. Her walnut-haired friend had suddenly seemed very upset.

As Orihime inspected the table beneath the box though, her frantic expression melted into relief. Ulquiorra wasn't there. Nor were any remnants of his presumably squashed form. So then…where was he?

"Orihime?"

Said teen looked up with a blank expression. But there was obvious surprise in her voice when she muttered, "He's not there." She set the box back down. Then she dropped to her knees to look under the table.

"He's not there."

Orihime's hair slid over her shoulder while she crawled around the floor of the main room. The orange curtain hid her growing-anxious expression from view, but Tatsuki could hear the increasing panic in her tone each time she said

"He's not there."

Over and over she mumbled this. She looked under the couch, beneath the cushions, and under it again. She dug around in the cracks just in case he might have gotten stuck. He wasn't there. Orihime checked under the chairs. He wasn't there. She crawled over to the TV and checked the cabinet beneath in where she kept her DVDs and old video tapes (yes, she'd kept them from her childhood). She checked the narrow bookshelf to the right of that where she kept her CDs and stereo on top. He wasn't there either. Nor was he in or near Sora-nii's shrine. She checked behind the curtains of her window. Nope.

There wasn't any other place in the room to hide.

Tatsuki hadn't moved from her spot. Confusion rooted her feet to the carpet as she watched her best friend crawl around, muttering to herself. A few times she called "Ulquiorra?" but Tatsuki had absolutely no idea what that was. Had the girl gone mad?

Tatsuki wouldn't have been so surprised if that was the case. Ever since Orihime returned from that dreadful place she told Tatsuki about—Hueco Mundo—her friend hadn't been the same. Sure, she was still her bubbly self at school; still dragging on her nonsense monologues to which nobody understood but were amused by anyway. Still making ridiculous meals. Still ever the altruist. But Tatsuki saw. She noticed how her friend's laughter sometimes didn't reach her eyes. She noticed how Orihime drifted off to day dreaming more often than normal. She noticed how she sighed to herself when she thought no one was looking. But Tatsuki was watching. She watched how Orihime expertly hid her depression from everybody. And even if Orihime thought she could, she couldn't hide it from Tatsuki.

Tatsuki couldn't understand. Why was her friend so depressed? Sure, being kept prisoner for so long would damper anyone's good mood. But a lot of times, Orihime looked so miserable you'd think someone had died. (Didn't matter who, Tatsuki was sure her friend would mourn anyone's death…even one of those filthy arrancar she'd been told about. Little did Tatsuki know how correct her guess was.)

Now, Tatsuki watched as Orihime slumped by the window. She was about to break into hysterics with worry: her breathing shallow, her eyes wide, and her mind spinning. She didn't feel the need to check the rest of the apartment: there was no way the little Ulquiorra could have moved that fast in the few seconds it took for her to open the door. So she concluded. Ulquiorra had disappeared.

"Orihime, you've got to tell be what's wrong." Tatsuki said firmly, instantly by her friend's side. She shook Orihime's shoulder, for her friend couldn't be reached by the sound of her voice alone. Orihime turned her head toward the dark haired girl slowly. _Tatsuki_. She wanted to speak. Her throat was dry.

Seeing the girl's mouth open in close as if having a hard time making a sound, Tatsuki got up. "I'll get you some water," she said, sprinting around the furniture and out of the room.

Orihime looked down at her hands in her lap. The same hands that had held mini Ulquiorra. That had reached out to Ulquiorra while he was his normal size before he disappeared into ash and she thought she'd never see him again. She couldn't let him disappear again.

She stood up, fully intending to check the whole apartment despite her doubts, when she heard the commotion from the kitchen. The shattering of a glass on the hard kitchen floor. The surprised shout of Tatsuki.

"What the hell is _that_?"

Orihime jumped. Her worrying was pushed back a bit in her head while alertness took over the space. She rushed across the room and into the kitchen. "Tatsuki what…?" Her jaw dropped.

It was a Kodak moment. The short haired Tatsuki was gaping with her eyebrows furrowed and a hand up, pointing straight ahead; right at the small thing hovering in the air before her. Its tiny green eyes were as wide and its body as frozen as a doe caught in headlights. Something small and white was sticking out of its mouth; in its arms was a broken tan ring of some sort. The only thing moving in the kitchen was the creature's wings, which subconsciously kept the thing aloft. Quiet.

Orihime finally broke the silence, bounding forward to the creature in the air.

"Ulquiorra there you are!"

His attention torn between the dark-haired girl pointing at him, the candy in his hand, and the call of his angel, Ulquiorra slowly turned his head toward the girl's voice. He wasn't sure exactly what happened until he found himself being suffocated by a large, soft, inescapable pillow. Orihime's chest.

"Oh Ulquiorra-san I told you not to do that! Do you know how worried I've been? I thought you were squashed and then I thought you were lost and then I thought you were eaten by a cat until I remembered I don't have a cat but still one could have snuck in and took you to feed you to its kittens! What would I have told Kurotsuchi-san? What would _I _have done? You can't ever disappear like that okay? Okay?"

She finally realized Ulquiorra wasn't moving in her death hug. Oh. She'd forgotten how small he was.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!"

The little Ulquiorra gasped as he was allowed to breathe once again. He hadn't minded being hugged; strangely, he'd actually quite enjoyed the fact she'd being concerned about his well being. But that's kind of ironic considering she was almost killing him with her sudden action. Mixed in with the emotions of shock and something warm, Ulquiorra was disappointed to find the remainders of his Caramel Cream on the floor. Darn it…

"Um…'Hime?"

Orihime and Ulquiorra stiffened, remembering the other person in the room. Tatsuki.

"Y-yes Tatsuki-chan?"

"Would you mind explaining what…_that_ is?"

* * *

_*~UlquixHime~*

* * *

_

"I see." Tatsuki said, leaning in even closer. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her eyes held a strange emotion Ulquiorra couldn't place. A silver spoon stuck out from the corner of her mouth. The dark crumbs and smear of chocolate frosting on the small white plate in front of Ulquiorra was the only evidence of there having ever been a large slice of devil's chocolate cake sitting there.

"So you're saying her pet bat died and turned into this thing." Tatsuki summarized. Orihime had just told her that the little bat-thing (Ulquiorra) used to be the pet bat of her landlord's daughter. This didn't surprise Tatsuki because she already knew about humans turning into Hollows, so she figured animals and the like could do the same. "Okay. But she wanted _you_ to have it because…?"

"Um…because I was the only person she knew who could see him." Orihime answered coolly. She laughed her usual 'you-know-me' giggle. "She could only feel his presence. (You know how children are more exposed to the supernatural and whatnot.) And her evil step mother was going to put her in a mental home because she thought she was 'mentally unstable' and she didn't want a 'lunatic' for a step daughter. So I figured I could take care of him since she couldn't let her step mom see her talking to her dead bat or else she'd be sent away. And what kind of person would I be to let that happen you know?"

"Right…" Tatsuki said, wondering if she should believe Orihime. But then, she saw no reason why her best friend would lie to her. Her mood lifted at this realization. It all made sense. Orihime was an over-caring person; Tatsuki knew that better than anyone. It would make sense for her friend to worry so much for the bat thing and feel guilty if it were to be put in danger after she vowed to care for it. "Well I think it's cool. So does the little bat have a name?"

"My name is Ulquiorra Schiffer." Ulquiorra said, folding his arms. He didn't object to Orihime's story simply because he did not see any reason to agree or disagree.

Tatsuki's dark eyebrows shot up. The spoon fell from her mouth, clattering as it landed on her plate, and she leaned away from the table. "It can _talk_?"

"I'd appreciate if you did not refer to me as if I were nothing more than a mere object. I believe I just told you my name." Ulquiorra said crossly. Orihime withheld a giggle, knowing Ulquiorra wouldn't realize he was sort of pouting.

"Riiight." Tatsuki rubbed the back of her head. This was all a bit weird for her to take in at once. She guessed the safest thing to do was just play along. "Well…'Ulquiorra'…My name's Tatsuki. I'm a friend of Orihime's. Nice to meet you."

Ulquiorra blinked slowly, taking in the girl in front of him. She had black, slightly spiky hair and brown eyes. Something about her rung a bell in his mind, but he just couldn't place the familiarity. While he thought, the two teenage girls waited. For what, they didn't know. The song "Best Friend" by Toybox was playing on the stereo, the tempo upbeat and club-like, making you just want to get up and dance.

'There's something weird about him…' Tatsuki thought, her gaze locked with Ulquiorra's tiny green eyes. 'Besides the fact he's a dead talking bat…It feels like I _know_ him…Is that even possible? There's something about him…His eyes…Why do I feel like I know that flat stare?'

Thankfully, Orihime spoke before Tatsuki could make the connection.

"Tatsuki, your grandmother's box..?"

"Hm?" Tatsuki blinked and looked up. Her red-haired friend was looking at her with wide gray eyes. "Oh, the box. Yeah."

Tatsuki stood up and walked over to the wall she'd set the box against while they ate their cake. She carried it back to the coffee table, where Orihime quickly cleared the plates and Ulquiorra got out of the way. He hopped up onto Orihime's shoulder, clinging to a strand of her hair for support. Tatsuki quirked an eyebrow but said nothing. She put the large box down and ripped the sealing tap off, opening the cardboard flaps.

"I knew that only lady was crazy."

"What, why?" Orihime asked, barely containing her excitement. Every time Tatsuki said that, it was because her grandmother had packed something that Tatsuki deemed as worthless. But as they say, one granny's trash is another teenage girl's treasure. Or something like that.

"We're not kids anymore." Tatsuki said, rolling her eyes. "We don't play with dolls."

Orihime gasped as she looked into the box. Inside was a mess load of clothes. Doll-sized clothes. '_Ulquiorra_ sized clothes.' Orihime instantly realized.

"They're perfect, how did she know?" Orihime beamed, plucking out a pair of mini- black slacks and black and green plaid shirt. She turned her head slightly to glance down at the stoic Ulquiorra. "What do you think Ulquiorra-san? I think this shirt matches your eyes."

Ulquiorra blinked at the him-sized clothes. "I do not believe I require such items."

"But Ulquiorra-san…You don't wear clothes…" Orihime mumbled, blushing lightly. The fact that she was saying this to _Ulquiorra_, her former captor and enemy, was embarrassing enough. But she also had to remember that, no matter about his species, he was a _guy_.

"Trivial. It's not as if many people in this realm can see me anyway." Ulquiorra said. He was confused as to why the pink tinged his angel's cheeks. He just knew he liked it. "Besides, it my current state, these items would be unbefitting."

Orihime sighed. No matter how much he changed, Ulquiorra could still be such the nihilist. She wouldn't let that get to her though. Still in her good mood, Orihime sorted through the box, pointing out all the cute-ahem-_cool_ outfits that would suit Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra was silent, secretly admiring the way Orihime's face lit up with enthusiasm.

Meanwhile, Tatsuki had snuck out of the room to get another slice of cake from the kitchen.

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry it took so long to post and if it was crappy. For some reason this chapter was hard to finish, even though it wasn't as long as previous chapters. But fear not, now that I have this chapter out of the way, I can freely get into more drama ^_^ Let the plot begin!

Thanks for reading, reviewing, alerting and favorite-ing. You all rock!

~'Taku ^_^


	9. Hiding

**Beauty and the Bat**

**Step 8: Hiding**

**A/N:** Yay, onto another part of the plot :D Thanks for all the support everyone!

**Disclaimer:** Tite Kubo owns _Bleach_. I also do not own the lyrics posted in each chapter. I've decided to tell you who does…so please listen to the songs!

* * *

_*~UlquixHime~*_

_~Fighting anti-forgiveness; unite and fight all division! ~ Beautiful Bride by Flyleaf

* * *

_

"Bye Tatsuki, be careful~" Orihime called happily, waving from her doorway. Ulquiorra was perched on her shoulder.

"See ya' tomorrow Orihime," Tatsuki called, waving back with a grin. In her other hand was a plate wrapped with tin foil, concealing two large slices of chocolate cake. "And I'll see you later…Little Bat."

Ulquiorra lifted a tiny hand to return the gesture. This would've surprised Orihime if she hadn't watched Tatsuki slowly grow fonder of Ulquiorra during her visit. His chibi-ness was too cute to resist, especially when he asked Tatsuki for a piece of her cake (despite Orihime's warnings). He'd started twitching more than before and even started flying around the room. Out of control, he zoomed right into a wall, landing on his wings again, giving him an excuse to have the two girls give him a massage.

First Nemu, then Orihime and Tatsuki. "Little Bat" was turning out to be quite the ladies man.

Orihime sighed and locked the front door. She smiled down at Ulquiorra. "Well, _I_ think that went well. Tatsuki's usually the most skeptical."

The rest of the afternoon went by easily. Orihime cheerfully told Ulquiorra of her long time friendship with Tatsuki Arisawa as she washed the dishes. The Murcielago sat on the counter, gazing up at the giant in awe. She was such a passionate person…he hated remembering how he'd been in charge of manipulating that fact to Aizen's will. He hated remembering the power he had over her: the power to kill her in an instant if Aizen-"sama" wished it.

Ulquiorra now thanked the ex-Shinigami captain for not giving him that order.

Later, Orihime sorted through the rest of Tatsuki's grandmother's box. There turned out to be some more dollhouse furniture that Orihime went to set up in Ulquiorra's little bachelor pad. She wondered how Tatsuki's grandmother knew. _Maybe she's psychic! That would be so cool!_

Ulquiorra had been right about the clothes. He just couldn't wear a shirt over those wings of his Segunda Etapa. And he almost ripped a pair of mini khakis trying to fit his talons into the pants. They'd be uncomfortable because of his tail anyway. And a hat wouldn't sit right on his head because of his horns.

Indeed, clothes on Ulquiorra right now were 'unbefitting'.

Orihime pouted. She'd been looking forward to dressing him up in all sorts of outfits; having him strut down the coffee table like a runway while she flashed pictures like paparazzi. She'd show them off to Tatsuki and her other friends, and even send some to Tatsuki's grandmother to show her how much she appreciated the gift. But that idea was now out. She sighed. _Besides, what other friends would I be able to show him to? Ishida-kun already knows. Chad…Rukia…Kurosaki-kun? *Gasp* I forgot all about Kurosaki-kun…what is he going to think when he finds out? No doubt he'll be angry. He'll…he'll want to kill Ulquiorra-san. I can't let that happen, not again! But then, where is Ulquiorra-san supposed to go when I go to school? I suppose I could drop him off at Urahara-san's for the day…But I just don't like the thought of leaving him…Why?_

"What is bothering you?" Ulquiorra asked, handing another tiny shirt to Orihime for her to put away. He could sense that Orihime was upset, and for some reason that upset him.

"Eh?" Orihime looked down at him, and then laughed her forget-about-it chuckle. "It's nothing. I was just thinking about tomorrow."

"Your friend, Tatsuki Arisawa, also mentioned something about 'tomorrow'." Ulquiorra pointed out. "Do you plan on meeting with her again?" _Will there be more cake?_

"Oh, no," Orihime answered. "She was referring to school. Tomorrow is Monday and most of the people our age go to school during the week. You know what school is, right Ulquiorra-san?"

"I am not ignorant of the way humans educate themselves." Ulquiorra stated. Back in Las Noches, he has plenty of books. Too many to fit on his wall length book shelves in fact. And when Aizen assigned him the mission of retrieving and looking after Orihime, he'd had to read up on human cultures.

"Oh so you know about high school." Orihime concluded. "So, yeah, that's where I'll be tomorrow. I'll ask Urahara-san if you can stay at his shop until I get out of school and come pick you u—"

"I shall go with you." Ulquiorra stated automatically.

"EH?"

* * *

_*~UlquixHime~*

* * *

_

"Good morning my lovely Hime!" Two hands shot out from behind Orihime and wrapped around her to squeeze her cleavage. "I missed you so much this week- OOMF"

"Knock it off this early in the morning, Chizuru!" Tatsuki demanded, standing over said redhead, who was sprawled on the floor clutching the side of her face. Tatsuki's latest fist mark was imprinted there.

"I told you, Arisawa…" Chizuru huffed. "You shouldn't come between a woman and her soul mate!" she got up quickly (she was used to Tatsuki's frequent abuse and therefore the punch only mildly fazed her) and made for Orihime again.

"Quit spewing that crap!" Tatsuki said, catching Chizuru in the stomach this time. The girl with glasses fell to her knees gripping her gut. She cursed Tatsuki, and the two continued to argue near the doorway.

Orihime laughed awkwardly and used this chance to cross the classroom to her seat. Minutes ticked by and more students entered the classroom. Orihime's friends soon arrived: Uryu, Chad, then Ichigo and Rukia. They crowded around Orihime's desk, as they'd been doing since they returned from Hueco Mundo. Even Mizuiro and Asano joined the group, seeing as they'd run into Kisuke and now knew about Soul Reapers and Hollows. Tatsuki eventually came over as well, completing the new clique. Asano was complaining to an aloof Mizuiro about being turned down by a junior. Tatsuki began discussing her daily workout with the quiet Chad and asked about his training, even suggesting they train together sometime. Rukia was yet again scolding an annoyed Ichigo for something trivial. Uryu was off on the edge a bit, silent, thinking about how to confront Inoue.

"Orihime, how are you this morning?" Rukia Kuchiki asked Orihime first. Her tone was serious. She'd been concerned about her friend since the rescue, certain that something happened to Orihime in Hueco Mundo that affected her psychologically. She knew how it felt to be a prisoner thinking there was no hope.

"Oh, good morning Kuchiki-san. I'm great!" Orihime said, plastering the grin they all expected to see on her face. "This morning I had jelly toast with soy sauce and it was delicious!"

Rukia laughed, sweat dropping. "I'll have to try it."

Orihime smiled, and then turned her head to look up at the certain carrot-topped teenager who towered behind Rukia. "And hello to you Kurosaki-kun."

"What's up, Inoue?" Ichigo greeted, flashing a rare smile.

"Not much." Orihime replied. She was about to say more when she heard a small growl. She, along with Ichigo, Rukia, and the others who'd been involved in their own small conversations, looked down at Orihime's desk. Her school bag sat there, unmoving.

Ulquiorra sat in the dark with his hands clamped over his tiny mouth. He bit his tongue, trying hard to keep his composure. _Kurosaki…that damned Kurosaki Ichigo is out there, talking to Orihime…Who does he think he is? Did he think he could kill me and get away with it? And what right does he have to stand there and talk to Orihime as if he hadn't left her there to suffer in confinement? I ought to go out there and—_

"Ahaha!" Orihime grabbed the bag off her desk and urgently pressed it against her stomach. "Sorry, sorry, guess that toast wasn't enough to fill me up. My stomach won't keep quiet!"

The questioning looks on her friends' faces disappeared and they laughed slightly.

"That's not good Orihime, you should eat more."

"Yeah."

"Okay class, sit down and shut up, I've got a lesson to teach." Ms. Ochi said, briskly entering the classroom and slamming some thick books on her desk dramatically, causing some people to jump.

The crowd around Orihime's desk dispersed. Tatsuki lingered for the longest, staring at Orihime, who looked back at her with a slightly guilty expression. She knew that Tatsuki knew it wasn't her stomach that had growled. She also knew that Tatsuki would question her about it during lunch. This understanding passed between the two of them and Tatsuki finally took her seat.

At the front of the classroom, a navy haired Quincy pushed his glasses up on his nose. He hadn't spoken to Orihime and wasn't sure what to say when he approached her. He kept recalling the menacing expression Orihime wore just nights before in her apartment. He wondered where Ulquiorra was now and what he'd been doing when left alone with Inoue. Uryu still didn't trust the Cuatro. He rather wished that, for Orihime's safety, the little bat was stuck somewhere dark and cramped with no way out.

* * *

_*~UlquixHime~*

* * *

_

Little Bat was stuck somewhere dark and cramped with no way out. It was Orihime's school back, and the teen was now clutching it to her chest too tightly for him to move.

"And then he _literally_ kicked me out of his room!" Rukia exclaimed, telling the tale of what had happened that morning.

"You didn't knock!" Ichigo retorted defensively. "I could've been getting dressed!"

"It's not something I haven't seen before." Rukia said, folding her arms and rolling her eyes.

"Whoa, whoa, _whoa_!" Keigo spit out his soda on Ichigo, who immediately cursed at him. Keigo ignored him, focused on Rukia. "What do you mean 'not something you haven't seen before'! Rukia, you mean you and Ichigo…!"

"Shut up!" "Of course not you idiot!"

Keigo clutched his head, which would have two generous bumps in it the next day thanks to a red-faced Shinigami and substitute. Orihime laughed at their antics as she usually did, but her heart wasn't in it. Her mind was on other things…like the bag in her arms. Of course she hadn't had time to talk to Ulquiorra all day, since she was always around at one or two of her friends "for her protection". Even in the bathroom, Tatsuki was there to catch her talking to her "pet" in school. It had seemed to be a long day up until lunch time, and she hoped Ulquiorra wasn't too bored, or worse, being jostled around too much.

_What if he's being smothered! _Orihime silently fretted. _What if he's being crushed by my school books! I have to check! Oh, please be okay, Ulquiorra-san!_

"Huh, Orihime? Where are you going?"

Orihime had gotten up to leave but paused as she was about to turn away. She looked back at Tatsuki, only to find all eyes on her. Even the ever-texting Mizuiro stopped to look up from his screen.

"Um…" Orihime laughed lightly in fake embarrassment. "I have to go to the bathroom again. Those prune and pickle cookies go right through you, ya' know?"

"I'll come with you." Tatsuki said, standing up. She stretched her slender but well built athlete's arms over her head.

Orihime didn't miss a beat and grinned in reassurance. "That's okay Tatsuki-chan, I was planning to…go home…after that. I'm not feeling too well. It's probably something I ate {here, the whole group sweat-dropped}, and you have practice in a little while. You wouldn't be back in time if you walked me home."

"In that case," Uryu spoke up for the first time, adjusting his glasses. He set down his lunch and was about to get up.

"I'll walk you home." Ichigo finished, standing up quicker. He, like Tatsuki, stretched. "I have to stop by Urahara's, so I'd be heading that way anyway."

There was another audible growl from Orihime's bag, and the red-head began to cough violently to cover up the noise. Ichigo crossed the short distance between them, instantly concerned, as were the rest of their friends. "Inoue, are you okay?"

"Ahaha, I'm fine. Just _fine_." Orihime coughed a little more though for effect. "Probably just a little cold, that's all." She cleared her throat vehemently, for real this time, since all that hacking scratched it painfully.

"I should get you home." Ichigo said. His eyebrows furrowed even deeper than usual. "Or maybe I should take you to my family's clinic for some medicine."

Orihime was quiet. Wasn't fate cruel? For how long had she always dreamed of Ichigo walking her home; taking her to _his _house? And how fervently had she always wished he would somehow come to stand this close to her for some reason other than protecting her from something? And here she was, experiencing what she'd only ever day dreamed about. Yet, she wasn't ecstatic. Her heart wasn't threatening to burst out of her over-sized chest. Her face wasn't as red as a certain soul reaper's hair. She didn't feel as if his warm chocolate brown eyes were unintentionally searing into her hazel ones, burning right down to the core of her being. No. Orihime was actually rather calm, besides the rising fear that Ulquiorra would be discovered.

_Ulquiorra._

Orihime was about to decline again, but Ichigo's gaze was insistent. Orihime inwardly sighed. She was one of the few people who knew, better than anyone else, how persistent Ichigo Kurosaki was. Once he set his mind to something, you couldn't change its course. Besides, her friends had known about her long-time crush on the carrot-top, and as far as they knew, her feelings hadn't changed. So how would it look if she turned him down now?

"Sure, Kurosaki-kun," she smiled finally, "That would be kind of you."

Ulquiorra sat wedged in between two textbooks. The darkness was suffocating, and his wings were cramped in a quite uncomfortable position. The circulation to his tail had been cut off long ago from him sitting on it for so long. His tongue tingled with the now familiar wanting: the craving for something sweet. He'd already finished off the Bull's Eyes Orihime stocked her bag with just for him. And he felt slightly nauseas—the motion sickness one would get from being carried around all day with absolutely no sense of direction.

But he wasn't focused on any of that. Instead, Ulquiorra was fighting the urge to burst out of the school bag and attack the man who was no doubt walking beside Orihime. He bit his itching tongue and strained his ears to catch any conversation between his princess and her recent-rescuer. However, he hadn't heard any voices for a while now. Just the sound of humans' cars passing by.

_That damned Kurosaki,_ Ulquiorra was mentally seething, as he'd been the whole time. _If he so much as touches Orihime, I'll destroy him with __Lanza del Relámpago!_

Never mind that doing so would be impossible in his current state.

Orihime held her bag gently yet securely to her chest. She kept her eyes on the sidewalk, focusing on the shadow she cast on the pavement. Ichigo walked beside her, hands in his pockets, scowl on his face as he, too, focused on the ground in thought. The pair walked down the sidewalk in awkward silence. It had been that way ever since he'd rescued her from Las Noches—not that they talked much before her kidnap. Still, Orihime felt that a gap had formed, not just between her and Ichigo, but between her and the rest of her friends. The rest of the world. Her heart had felt divided between this realm and the world of Hollows, where she believed she could've made a newfound friend. And she'd felt guilty. Did that make her a traitor after all, like Soul Society had begun to believe?

Thankfully, that was all over. Ulquiorra was now with her, in her school bag, in her arms. Orihime sighed in relief as she saw her apartment building approaching ahead. Soon she'd be alone with Ulquiorra again. Don't get her wrong, she enjoyed the company Ichigo was giving her, but something just felt…missing. She couldn't wait to find something fun to do with Ulquiorra today. _Oh, I could try making him some more desserts! He seems to like that kind of stuff. Heheh…never thought Ulquiorra-san could have such a sweet tooth. Maybe he'll like that new flan recipe I found! I could drown it with maple syrup and melted chocolate and decorate it with peanut butter and honey…_

Orihime's attention wandered until she and Ichigo reached the steps that lead up the side of the building to her flat. She turned to him and smiled her usual smile, as to not alert him to the path her mind had taken. _Just act natural. Act like Ulquiorra isn't in your bag. You aren't about to go inside and bake Ulquiorra a smorgasbord of sweets. You haven't been dreaming about Ulquiorra every night for the past…_

"Thank you, Kurosaki-kun." Orihime said brightly. _Just act natural. You're almost there. He's going to leave. He won't even know…_

"No problem Inoue…" _that's it, now turn around and— _"Hey, is that…" _*gasp* He found out! _"Yoruichi?"

"Yoruichi?" Orihime turned around slightly, not sue what to expect. Sure enough, sitting there on the steps was a black, golden eyed cat. "Y-Yoruichi-san?"

_So close…_

The black cat appraised Orihime with its all knowing eyes. Its black tail swished back and forth behind its back leisurely. It could have been any random stray, except this cat…

"Orihime. Just the person I wanted to see. But I didn't expect to see you here, Ichigo." It spoke in a gruff, masculine voice.

…was Yoruichi Shihouin.

* * *

_*~UlquixHime~*

* * *

_

"What are you doing here Yoruichi?" Ichigo demanded, immediately on edge. Whenever Yoruichi or Kisuke was involved, he knew there was some trouble somewhere.

"Relax, Ichigo." The black cat said dismissively. "I'm just here to deliver a message." Golden-yellow eyes shifted slightly to Orihime, then to the bag she was clutching to her chest. The girl's grip tightened under Yoruichi's gaze. The wise cat chuckled. "Orihime, I just came to say that Urahara wishes to see you."

Orihime was silent, trying to imagine what Yoruichi couldn't say in front of Ichigo. _"Urahara wishes to see you and receive a status report on the resurrected Ulquiorra Schiffer. Don't worry; I'm not here to snatch him out of that bag in your arms."_

"Hai." Orihime nodded quietly. She knew he'd want to see her sooner or later.

"Hey, wait a second." Ichigo said. He moved to block Orihime from leaving the first few steps she'd begun to climb. "What does Mr. Sandal-Hat want with Inoue?"

"He…um…wanted to try some of my new dessert." Orihime answered quickly. She forced herself to smile convincingly. "Hehe can't keep him waiting…hehe…"

Orihime slid around Ichigo and set to a brisk walk in the direction of Kisuke's shop. A few moments later though, she heard Ichigo fall into step beside her.

"I was headed there anyway." Ichigo mumbled to nobody in particular. He stuffed his hands in his pockets. Orihime looked away. That action reminded her too much of when Ulquiorra kept his hands in the pockets of his arrancar uniform.

_Ulquiorra…_

She wondered how he was holding up. He'd been in her bag all day: all alone in the dark. She was regretting her decision to take him with her. Orihime remembered back to that morning.

"_I shall go with you to 'school'." Ulquiorra repeated himself._

"_But…Ulquiorra…you can't." Orihime said, waving her hands and shaking her head. "My friends will see you. And I don't really have anywhere you could hide besides." She wasn't sure if she was trying to dissuade him or convince herself._

"_I shall find a place." Ulquiorra said, looking up at her. His voice took on a slightly anxious tone. "I have to remain by your side. I promise you won't nor will your friends even notice I'm there."_

_Orihime appraised the Murcielago. He was standing amidst his many mini clothes, holding a small leather jacket that he was preparing to fold and put away. Ulquiorra now held her gaze. His emerald eyes widened in the slightest and looked a bit glassy. His white bottom lip poked out, too small a change for anyone who wasn't familiar with his minimal facial expressions to notice. Orihime was reminded of his break down during Uryu's visit. She sighed. How could she say no?_

Right now, Ulquiorra was fighting his rising need for something sweet. His wings—with his limited ability to move them—were twitching. His tongue felt dry. The space between his two horns was constantly tingling and he kept rubbing his head. His stomach growled, threatening to kill if it didn't receive its sweet sustenance soon.

_Orihime…_Ulquiorra wondered if his newfound connection with the girl included telepathy. If so… _I can't stay in here much longer…_

Soon, Orihime and Ichigo arrived at Urahara's shop. It was autumn, so the sky was already darkening even though it was only about four in the afternoon. Yoruichi, skilled at the flash step even in cat form, was already there. Kisuke came out to greet the teenagers, fanning his self as usual.

"Ah, Ichigo, you're here too?" Kisuke asked, clearly surprised. _If Ichigo discovers Ulquiorra now, there's no telling what will happen to my poor shop… _"What can I do for you?"

Ichigo scratched the back of his head. "I was actually here to talk to you…"

Kisuke arched an eyebrow and glanced at Orihime. He was about to reply when Ichigo continued.

"But I heard you and Inoue were trying some new…food…so I guess I'll come back tomorrow." He said. He turned to go, waving over his shoulder. "See you guys later."

Kisuke watched him go while Orihime breathed a sigh of relief. There was a similar reaction from the inhabitant of her school bag, which now had one less distraction to deal with. After a minute or two, Urahara turned his attention back to the walnut haired, school-uniform clad girl. He smiled knowingly. Orihime's hazel eyes narrowed slightly and she subconsciously hugged her bag tighter.

"Now, Miss Orihime," the store-owning ex-Shinigami gestured to the open door into the shop. "Shall we?"

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry for the long wait TT_TT I decided not to have Ulquiorra discovered just yet. Thanks to those of you still reading this story! I have inspiration for another UlquixHime fanfic, this time based on the actual storyline (Hueco Mundo Arc). What do you guys think? Do you like storyline-based fics, slightly off topic (like this), or totally off topic (ex. arrancars in high school) fics better? Please complete the poll on my profile~

~'Til next time, O ^_^


	10. Feeling

**Beauty and the Bat**

**Step 9: Feeling**

**A/N:** Can I just say _Inuyasha_ is _awesome_? I didn't think I would get into it but I just started watching the episodes and it had everything: action, adventure, comedy, fantasy, and love triangles, etc. If you haven't watched or read _Inuyasha_, you totally should!

_Airi-07~~_Yes, I LOVE that photo, and any other pic in which Ulquiorra is chibi ^^ Hence my current profile picture. If you find any more you'd like to share, please let me know!

_Onlynameleft~~ _Yes, although Uryu is concerned, it is more jealousy that he feels. His pride just won't allow him to admit it. And Ichigo was so boring in the last chapter, trying to write him gave me writer's block -_-" Fear not, he will play a major role in the near future, if only to satisfy me as the author ^^. Thanks again for your thoughtful review!

_Lilac Rose6~~_ Your review and messages gave me a warm feeling. Know what that means? Fuel to post more chapters! ^^ Thanks a lot. And about Ulqui's released form…we'll see…

**Disclaimer:** Tite Kubo owns _Bleach_. I also do not own the lyrics posted in each chapter. I've decided to tell you who does…so please listen to the songs! Also, _Inuyasha_ belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

* * *

_*~UlquixHime~*_

_~If you had eyes to see, down inside your stomach, then you would understand what I mean; who I am…~ Eyes to See by Flyleaf

* * *

_

"Oh, so that's why?" Orihime's eyebrows were furrowed. She looked down at Ulquiorra, who was sitting on the table in front of her. His legs were spread and his hands were planted in the space in between. He was hunched forward slightly, looking bored, and his long tail was curled lazily. He tilted his head back and to the side to meet Orihime's gaze. She inwardly smirked at how cute the pose was. She briefly wished she had a camera, but now was not the time for that.

Urahara, who was sitting on the opposite side of the table, nodded behind his fan.

"_Ulquiorra's spiritual pressure was almost completely diminished, as you are well aware, he would not be here if not for the 12__th__ Division's technology. Nemu-san's hunch is that he is in his 'Segunda Etapa' form because it is the state in which he harnesses the most spiritual energy. If he were in any lesser form, Ulquiorra-san here would be too weak to survive."_

Orihime frowned slightly, replaying Urahara's explanation in her mind. Kisuke had also told her how Captain Unohana, of the 4th Division, thought that maybe Orihime's Shun Shun Rikka could somehow reverse Ulquiorra to his unreleased state. But because Ulquiorra was simply small and not damaged, she couldn't do anything. A part of Orihime was overjoyed: Ulquiorra was simply adorable in his chibi form. Still, the majority of her felt weak and useless. She hated that she couldn't help him. _Does this mean Ulquiorra is stuck like this?_

As if reading her thoughts, a gruff voice spoke up.

"Eventually, Ulquiorra's spiritual pressure will replenish itself, at which time his body will no longer have to take such measures to keep him alive." Yoruichi stated.

Ulquiorra watched warily as the black cat leaped up onto the table. She came to sit a short distance away from him, her long, thin tail swishing gracefully behind her. Her golden yellow eyes narrowed, staring directly down at him. Ulquiorra fidgeted in discomfort. He was ashamed to admit it that this cat, Yoruichi Shihouin, could probably eat him right now if she wanted to.

_I doubt Inoue would allow her to do so…However…_ Ulquiorra subconsciously scooted away from Yoruichi, back toward the edge of the table; toward Orihime.

Yoruichi's wise eyes caught this and she quirked a feline eyebrow in amusement. She crouched down on her front paws to get a closer look at the former Cuatro.

"Yoruichi-san."

The black cat glanced up at Orihime. The teenager met the Flash Master's eyes, her own showing a bit of warning. Yoruichi noted how the confidence was unlike the usual Orihime, but she was not surprised. She knew Orihime was strong, for she had been the one to train the girl and Yasutora Sado (Chad) when they first discovered their powers. Yoruichi watched as Orihime cupped her hands and scooped Ulquiorra up to sit on her shoulder. There, he automatically took hold onto a lock of her long walnut-colored hair.

Both ex-captains Kisuke and Yoruichi watched this display of Orihime's protectiveness and Ulquiorra's willingness to be protected. Then the two shared a glance that said, _who would have guessed…?_

Kisuke cleared his throat to speak first. "As Yoruichi said, Schiffer-kun will gradually regain his spiritual powers. At which time, Nemu-san predicts, he will gradually return to his normal self. And with Aizen in hiding and the war approaching, the soul society is on edge. So when Ulquiorra regains his strength…"

"You will once again be labeled a threat." Yoruichi concluded matter-of-factly, looking at Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra's green eyes downcast. _This means they'll want to eliminate me…which means I will once again lose Inoue… _He blinked and reached up to the hollow hole in his chest. _Why do I always circle back to that fact? Why do I care if I never see her again? Why is it that I… I don't want to leave her side? Curse these unfathomable emotions!_

"Ulquiorra?" Orihime tilted her head slightly, seeing as Ulquiorra was still hanging onto that one lock, and looked at him with her peripheral vision. The Murcielago—who didn't respond— seemed to be struggling with something, as he often seemed to be lately. Maybe he still felt weak…?

Orihime fixed a hard gaze back on the cat and man in front of her. "I'm not going to allow you to hurt him." She stated firmly.

Yoruichi stared at the girl, not saying anything. All was quiet. Ulquiorra glanced up at Orihime, trying to decipher the fire in her eyes. He'd always found it intriguing. Urahara waved his fan as if to dismiss the sudden tension in the room. "Now, now, we have no reason to take any actions yet. Relax, Orihime-chan." He smirked. "It would be cruel to attack such a defenseless opponent."

Ulquiorra tore his awe filled gaze from the woman's face and scowled slightly at his creator. Urahara chuckled at the expression. He briefly considered it cute, but then realized his own thoughts and shut them down. The other three in the room watched as he stood up and tipped his hat. "Enough of this serious talk. How rude of me, I haven't offered you all any tea. How about it?"

* * *

_*~UlquixHime~*

* * *

_

After a couple of servings of tea and much lighter conversation about she-forgot-what, Orihime returned to her apartment. Thankfully, nobody was waiting for her this time. So she laid Ulquiorra—who'd fallen asleep on her shoulder and whom she'd had to cradle back to the apartment—to rest in his bachelor pad. Then, too spent to cook up an extravagant meal, she crawled into bed herself.

Not an hour afterward, Ulquiorra rolled over on his back in his mini-bed. The mattress wasn't plastic, but it definitely wasn't anywhere near as comfy as Orihime's pillow. No, compared to Orihime's bed, Ulquiorra's was a rock. He shifted uncomfortably under his cover, staring up at the ceiling and thinking back to Urahara's shop. _Eventually, the Soul Society will come after me…Meanwhile that bastard Aizen is somewhere in Hueco Mundo, no doubt trying to restore his army. You can bet that if Soul Society can bring me back to life, Aizen can resurrect the other fallen Espada._

Ulquiorra turned his head, trying to get his horns in a more comfortable position. After another half a minute, he had to readjust again. Then again. After a while, Ulquiorra sat up in his bed, looking down at his talon hands. _I can't be stuck in this form. I'm powerless: nothing but trash. How am I supposed to be of any use to Inoue if I can't even move a human's trash can?_

Ulquiorra's emerald green eyes scanned his small dark room. He could make out the Barbie-sized wardrobe in the corner, in which Orihime had tucked away his clothes. _Well,_ he thought. _At least I won't have to worry about being dressed up in those…things._

After a while, Ulquiorra got up from his bed, as he did every night. And, as he did every night, he rose from his bachelor pad—carried by his night-black wings—and crossed the room to Orihime's bed. He landed at the foot, and then climbed his way up the hills that were Orihime's legs under the covers. Little Bat scrambled up the giant's torso and came to sit between the mounds that were her chest. His pale, black marked face was awe filled as he watched the woman sleep. Orihime's hazel eyes were hidden behind her closed eyelids. Her maturing-round face seemed to glow slightly, giving her an air of innocence. But Ulquiorra figured that was a trick of the darkness, since he knew better than anyone that Orihime was far from childhood innocence. Ulquiorra's gaze lingered on Orihime's lips, which were invitingly parted. Something from somewhere within him compelled the Cuatro to lean forward. Startled by the unfamiliar feeling, Ulquiorra shook his small head back and forth and turned away from the teen's face.

Little Bat curled up on the sleeping human's expansive chest. Feeling much more at ease, insomnia ebbed away as the rising and falling of his "bed" lulled Ulquiorra into drowsiness. He listened to the girl's even, faint breathing. He found comfort in the rhythmic thumping of Orihime's heart from somewhere beneath him. _Inoue's…heart…

* * *

_

_*~UlquixHime~*

* * *

_

The rest of the week of school went by uneventfully for most. But Orihime was kept busy trying to protect her school bag, in which a little, black-winged miracle stowed away each day to go to school with her. Most of the incidents occurred when Orihime had gym class and obviously couldn't carry her bag around during. A few times involved Chizuru snooping around for "something that smelled like 'Hime-chan". It was now lunchtime on Friday, and Orihime was certain—at least, hoping—that the rest of the day would go by without any such disruptions. She'd managed to slip away from under her friends' hawk-like gazes, and was now alone in her empty homeroom.

Glancing at the closed doors at either end of the room one more time, Orihime breathed a sigh of relief. She set her bag gently on her desk and opened it.

"You can come out now, Ulquiorra." The girl said, smiling. In response, two slender white horns peeked up over the lip of the bag, followed by a mop of jet black hair, and finally a set of sleepy emerald eyes. Without anything to do all day while being trapped in a teenager's school bag, Ulquiorra had taken up the past-time of napping.

It was an odd new feeling, but pleasant. As Aizen's loyal fourth Espada, Ulquiorra used to rarely have time for sleeping. Aizen entrusted most of his affairs to the stoic Cuatro to see to. And when he wasn't being Aizen's lap dog, Ulquiorra spent his time reading and adding to his seemingly infinite knowledge. When he was ordered to take charge of Orihime, Ulquiorra had even less time to himself. It's not that he'd ever minded; he deemed sleep, like many other things, pointless. He'd never had dreams: the manifestation of things hidden in a sub-conscious that he showed no evidence of possessing.

But in this new form, with his spiritual pressure taking its sweet time to replenish itself, Ulquiorra found what a wonder sleeping and dreaming was. He dreamed of Twizzler ropes to use to climb to the top of sugar-capped mountains. Of making snow angels on a sheet of Bull's Eye cream. Of swimming in an entire lake of chocolate sauce. But above all, Ulquiorra dreamed of his emotional-savior, Orihime. Dreamed of her eyes, so dull in Hueco Mundo; so bright in this world. Dreamed of her hair, so lacking in luster in the dim lighting of her prison cell; so vibrant in the gleaming sunlight coming through the classroom windows. Dreamed of her in general, so defiant and somber towards him back then; so kind and warm toward him now.

Ulquiorra felt that now familiar heat growing somewhere at his center.

"Aw, Ulquiorra, you're okay. Nobody's here to hurt you." Orihime said in assurance to the little bat that had leaped up from the desk to cling to her shirt. She told herself he'd done so in fear. Otherwise, she would've blushed at his willingness to hug her so desperately.

_What am I thinking?_ Orihime briefly scolded herself. _This is __**Ulquiorra**__ I'm thinking about. The Ulquiorra I know would never do such a thing! But then…he's different now, isn't he?_ Orihime pondered this as she cupped him to her chest with one hand and lightly petted his wings with the other. _He's changed so much since I met him back then. Could it be because he's so small? But I mean…even if he changed in size, his personality shouldn't have changed right? He's so much nicer now…and, I have to admit, much more adorable. Lovable. What could have happened? _

Orihime thoughts back to those last moments on the roof of Las Noches: how Ulquiorra seemed to have a change of the heart he denied owning. _Was it then? He'd said he was taking interest in us humans…was it because of me? I mean, why else would he have reached out to __**me**__?_

Orihime's head rushed, thinking of possibilities that should have made sense, but all she could decide on was that he'd done it to connect with her. And she wasn't sure how it made her feel. _He's definitely not my enemy anymore, no matter what Mr. Urahara says. And I don't know if he ever was…he was just following orders given by his leader, right? Just like Rukia and the other soul reapers follow the Captain-commander's orders. So Ulquiorra can't be blamed; he's innocent! I mean look at him…_

Ulquiorra wasn't sure what was compelling him to cling to Orihime. It was as if his tiny body had moved of its own accord, and the radiating warmth of her body was like a magnet that wouldn't allow him to let go. He inhaled the comforting scent of her fabric softener. Snuggling his face into her uniform blouse, Ulquiorra closed his eyes and enjoyed Orihime's touch on his back and wings. His long, thin tail curled leisurely back and forth, brushing Orihime's gentle hands in the lightest of touches. Ulquiorra was experiencing yet another new emotion: serenity.

The two of them stayed like that for a few more minutes: Orihime standing amidst the empty desks, caressing the little bat creature to the center of her bosom, the both of them reveling in the other's presence and wondering how it came to be so. The classroom was quiet and a few loose papers could be found scattered across the expansive floor. The noon sun provided the light illuminating the room, giving an atmosphere of tranquility.

But of course, the peace could not last.

"Orihime?" Both said teenager and the Murcielago opened their eyes to glance at the classroom doors. They were still shut, but they could hear footsteps coming down the hallway. "Orihime, where are you?"

_Rukia._

It wasn't that Orihime disliked Rukia. She admitted; she had been a little jealous when Rukia first showed up all that time ago and was able to get closer to Ichigo than Orihime had in years. And she'd felt guilty about the jealousy because she honestly considered the soul reaper a friend. They had saved each other countless times. Plus, she was genuinely grateful to Rukia for bringing Ichigo out of his depression just as often. Still, for a while, she couldn't help but envy the relationship between the two.

The funny thing was, ever since she returned to the human world, the thought of them being together so often didn't upset Orihime nearly as much as before Hueco Mundo. And Orihime guessed that greatly had to do with a certain Espada.

She had to hide Ulquiorra.

"Orihime, are you in here?" Rukia asked as she reached the back classroom door. She slid it open, her deep blue eyes already searching. What she found was unexpected, but brought relief. "There you are." The girl said, entering the classroom. Orihime was sitting at a desk, turned in the chair so she was facing the door, and reading a textbook of some sort.

"You disappeared, and Tatsuki got worried." Rukia laughed lightly, approaching Orihime, who had looked up with an expression that said 'you caught me'. "What are you doing all alone in the classroom?"

Orihime pressed the textbook closer to her chest with one hand and rubbed the back of her head with the other, laughing sheepishly. "I was…just trying to find somewhere quiet to study for a while. Just trying to catch up in the work I missed, you know? Heheh…"

"Yeah…" Rukia smiled in understanding. "That whole…incident in Hueco Mundo really put us behind in school work." The short, black haired female leaned casually against a desk facing Orihime. She folded her arms and gazed past Orihime, out the window. "With all the stuff going on, it's kind of weird fitting into this average-human routine every so often."

Orihime nodded. Everything was in a state of limbo right now. Since Aizen's plan to infiltrate and destroy Karakura Town failed and several of his strongest forces were wiped out, he'd taken to the desert of Hueco Mundo. So while Soul Society, Urahara, and the Visoreds were all trying to uncover his whereabouts, everyone else was stuck here in the Human World awaiting further instructions.

"Anyway, why don't you come on out? Lunch is almost over anyway." Rukia said, pointing at the door she'd came through with her thumb. "Plus the others were wondering where you disappeared to."

"Uh…right..." Orihime stood up, but still held the textbook defensively in front of her. Ulquiorra, who was still clinging to her chest, was looking up at the girl's face with green wide eyes. He remained silent, sensing that it wasn't safe to move or make a sound. The Kuchiki girl was a soul reaper, after all. Who knew what she would do or say? No doubt she would tell something to that Kurosaki brat, and there was definitely no telling how _he_ would react.

* * *

**A/N: **Sooooo sorry for the delay everyone. The chapter isn't even as long as I wanted it to be T_T, but there was some important stuff. So many questions remain though...Anyway, consider this a filler. Hope you all continue to enjoy. I promise the next chappie will be out much sooner, so don't kill me yet o.O

~Otaku786 ^_^"


	11. Comfortable

**Beauty and the Bat**

**Step 10: Comfortable**

**A/N: **Stupid busted computer . Sorry for the long time with no update you guys!

And on an off topic that may or may not have anything to do with this story… . To any yaoi (shonen-ai) fans reading this, who finds Grimmkitty (Grimmjow) x Strawberry (Ichigo) an interesting pair? Juuust wondering ^^... *mischievous chuckle*

**Disclaimer:** Tite Kubo owns _Bleach_. I also do not own the lyrics posted in each chapter. I've decided to tell you who does…so please listen to the songs!

* * *

_*~UlquixHime~*_

_~Maybe I know somewhere deep in my soul that love never lasts. And we've got to find other ways to make it alone, or keep a straight face. And I've always lived like this: keeping a comfortable distance. And up until now I've sworn to myself that I'm content with loneliness because none of it was ever worth the risk…Well, you are the only exception. ~ The Only Exception by Paramore

* * *

_

It had been two full weeks since Ulquiorra's awakening. Two full weeks since Nemu showed up with him at Orihime's door. And two full weeks since Orihime's heavy depression began to lift. It was a now Saturday not unlike the last, in that the weather was fairly calm yet Orihime had to remain indoors. But it was okay. She didn't mind being stuck in the apartment because the one person she'd been missing was there right now. And at the moment, she was preparing a mini home-spa just for him.

"What is this stuff supposed to be, woman?" the little bat asked, glancing into the small bowl the teenager had just set down. Inside was a brown mixture that Ulquiorra had no idea what she was planning to do with. After a few seconds though, the smell penetrated into his tiny nostrils. His green eyes widened and his tongue suddenly felt wetter than usual.

_Chocolate…_

"Ulquiorra, not yet!" Orihime gasped and set down a bottle of bubble bath in favor of the small bowl. Ulquiorra, who had dipped a hand in it to consume a mouthful of the chocolate-smelling stuff, looked up at her with an innocent expression. As if he were a child who didn't know he wasn't supposed to eat a cookie before dinner.

"How much longer, woman? I have yet to see the point of this past hour's chaos." Ulquiorra folded his arms to uphold his infamous attitude, but it was an awkward action considering the brown stuff that was still coating his hand. He scrutinized it before raising his clawed fingers to his face and tentatively began to lick them clean. The taste was…odd. It was chocolate, which he reveled in, but there were other flavors that he couldn't place.

"Oh, Ulquiorra, you used to be so patient. What happened?" Orihime giggled. She placed the bowl down—a distance away from the Espada—and picked up the bottle of bubble bath.

Ulquiorra merely huffed in response. He watched in curiosity as she poured a liquid into a transparent cup with red lines on it, noticed how she seemingly appraised the amount, and then poured the cup into a large bowl.

It continued like that for a little while longer, with Orihime mixing recipes and Ulquiorra watching her intently. He knew that his previous self wouldn't have cared to take note of such trivial things. But in the past week, the Cuatro found himself with the need to not miss a thing she did. Maybe that was because she'd been acting strangely. True, her carefree self alone with him still seemed new when compared to her days under his watch in Las Noches. But her strained behavior with her 'friends' was even more foreign to the little bat. He knew she was probably just trying to protect him. But if her friends could see through the façade she tried to put on, he hoped she knew that she wasn't doing an exceptional job at deception.

And if her friends couldn't see beneath her mask, well, Ulquiorra very much wanted to destroy them all for being so blind to her feelings.

"Oh Ulquiooorraaa," Orihime sang happily, calling from the kitchen. Ulquiorra had left several minutes ago because the kitchen's aroma was too tempting. But now, Orihime watched as he appeared in the doorway, carried by his black wings. On his face was an unreadable expression, and Orihime knew something was wrong because she hadn't seen him that melancholy since Hueco Mundo. She opened her mouth to question his mood, but he spoke first.

"Are you finished?" Ulquiorra asked, barely managing to keep his voice steady as he flew over to the kitchen's island.

He'd just been in his 'bachelor pad', laying on his bed and staring at the ceiling of Orihime's bedroom. He'd just been waiting for her to call, when he realized how dependent on her he had become. That thought led him to thinking about the strange emotions he'd been feeling around her, and he'd began to feel the odd, now-familiar warmth while imagining her face. In all honesty, that growing glow was beginning to trouble him because he had no idea what it was.

"Yes," Orihime beamed down at him and clapped her hands together. "''Hime's Home Spa' is now open for business. First, I made you a bath. I think you'll like it!"

"..." Ulquiorra padded across the countertop, noticing it was clothed in a fluffy bath towel. His talons sunk a bit with every step. He reached the bowl Orihime was gesturing to, and—having to lift himself up a bit—his eyes widened when he glanced over the rim.

The bowl was just from Orihime's kitchen set. Ulquiorra hadn't noticed this before, probably because he didn't want to belittle himself, but it was just the right size to serve as a bathtub for someone of his…caliber. But that's not why Ulquiorra hesitated. He'd hesitated because filling the bowl, almost to the brim, was chocolate.

"No, Ulquiorra, don't drink it; that's your _bath_!"

Ulquiorra stopped with his hand halfway to his mouth. He looked up at Orihime, who was covering her mouth to keep from busting out in laughter at his naiveté. "Why is my 'bath' made of chocolate, woman, if I cannot consume it?"

"Because, Ulquiorra, it's a chocolate bubble bath." Orihime said. She smiled proudly. "I found it in a book of home spa recipes and I knew you'd love it. You know, because of your whole addiction to sweets. I even made a chocolate facial mask for you. All the ingredients in _that_ are edible, so you can have the leftovers if you want. The bath recipe uses dark chocolate, so it'll be good for your skin. Well…now that think about it, I'm not sure how well that would work for your Hierro, but we won't know unless we try…"

By now, Ulquiorra had managed to climb into the bowl and slowly lower himself into the heated bath. The feeling was odd. He'd used showers in Las Noches because Aizen strictly demanded cleanliness and a 'home'-like environment for his 'family' of Arrancar. That's why the living quarters even had beds, though hollows did not require sleep. But Ulquiorra couldn't remember bathing in an actual bath. Why waste his time idle in a tub when he could be fulfilling actual duties? At least, that's what the fourth Espada _used_ to think. Right now, in the 'tub' of chocolate bubble bath, Ulquiorra felt completely at ease surrounded by his favorite delicacy and Orihime's presence. And with the girl's classical music—to which he'd grown accustomed—wafting in from the other room, it was a quite comfortable atmosphere.

"Okay Ulquiorra, now close your eyes while I put on the facial mask. It'll only take a minute."

Already having put his complete trust in the human teenager—or else he wouldn't have went along with her schemes—Ulquiorra did as was told and closed pale lids over bright eyes. Orihime, once again marveling at his newfound cooperation, smiled to herself. She reached for the small bowl that she'd had to confiscate from Ulquiorra earlier. She then dipped a slender pinky into the chocolate mixture and, with the gentle touch of a paintbrush, applied the mask to the little bat's serene face. Internally, Orihime patted herself on the back for doing such thing on a surface so small. If it weren't for the practice she'd had in steadying her hands while 'healing' others, this would've been a mess.

When Ulquiorra felt the disappearance of Orihime's hand's warmth, replaced by the odd sensation of having the layer of stuff on his face, he opened his eyes to see her smiling in accomplishment. He felt a small fluttering in the center of his being. Again. _Okay, this is getting troublesome. _Ulquiorra opened his mouth, fully intending on questioning Inoue about the feeling. Surely she could provide some insight on the sensations. What Ulquiorra didn't realize yet, though, was that he only felt the 'sensations' when near or thinking about Orihime…

"Woman, I have a question." He spoke, small green eyes focused on her large hazel ones.

Orihime internally giggled. Of course he did; he was full of questions lately. And Orihime was only ever so happy to answer them to the best of her ability. She wondered what this feeling was: the feeling of wanting to do all she could to help him in any way. Sure, she wanted to help all of her friends however she could. But, well…this feeling was becoming as strong as her loyalty to Ichigo for all those years. Wait…did that mean she…?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of her doorbell.

"Sorry, Ulquiorra, hang onto your question." Orihime said, wiping her hands off on a nearby dish-towel. "I'll be right back." And with that, she smiled at him before exiting the kitchen.

The little Ulquiorra rested back against the side of his 'bathtub', soaking in the chocolate mixture. His wings were folded behind his back and he sat so his tail wouldn't be crushed. Indeed, Ulquiorra was quite comfortable. He slid down in the tub so the chocolate came up to his chin, soaking his ebony split ends. Closing his eyes, Ulquiorra sighed. He thought about how he wouldn't mind staying this way a little longer. Even if he was small, power wasn't something he craved for anymore. Besides, he was with Orihime. And he loved her.

…_Hospitality. _Ulquiorra's head finished. _I love her hospitality. After all, she did arrange this whole thing just for me…_

Ulquiorra opened his eyes because he was beginning to feel a familiar tugging from within. A craving. A growing need he had to satisfy…Raising his hand from beneath the chocolate water, Ulquiorra swiped a finger across his cheek, right beneath his eye. Then he stuck the finger tip in his mouth to taste the chocolate mask. Delicious. He briefly remembered how Orihime had used her finger to trace his countenance with chocolate. And randomly wondered what it would have been like to lick the chocolate from her dainty fingertip.

It seems Ulquiorra was beginning to inherit Orihime's tendency to daydream.

Meanwhile, Orihime smoothed back her long auburn hair and straightened her blouse. She'd been so busy with preparing the spa for Ulquiorra that she hadn't spruced herself up as she usually did for possible Saturday-visitors. Orihime now smiled brightly as she unlocked the door and swung it open.

"Good afternoon, Ishida-kun." Orihime greeted the navy haired boy.

"Hello Inoue-san, how are you today?" Uryu asked, adjusting his glasses with his free hand. In his other, he was dangling a shopping bag.

"I'm doing wonderful actually." Orihime said. It was true. She didn't have to work hard to keep the smile on her face. Especially since Uryu knew about Ulquiorra, and Orihime didn't have to stress over hiding him. For the past week, Uryu hadn't even mentioned Ulquiorra when alone, like the couple of times when he'd walked her home. It was a relief to know that _someone _else knew and, though Ishida was far from supportive, he was at least tolerant.

"That's good to hear. Um…" Uryu glanced out at the street in thought. He felt sort of awkward now, whenever he talked to her, knowing he was her only friend in on her secret. Don't get him wrong, he knew how to 'act natural'. But still, he couldn't help but wonder what Ulquiorra was doing. How close he was to regaining his powers; how much time was left before he became an immediate danger to Inoue. Uryu knew he would have to take action when that time came. But he also knew that with each day, Orihime was becoming more attached to the Cuatro. Not only was it obvious, but it was logical because Ulquiorra was in her care. And Inoue always took pride in caring for people.

"Well, I just stopped by 'Sunflower Sewing' and I picked up some things." Uryu finally continued, looking back at the expectant girl in the doorway before him. He held up the bag in his hand for indication.

Orihime's eyebrows rose. She'd almost forgotten that usually, Uryu brought crafts when he visited. Since they were both in the Handicrafts Club at school, they often shared project ideas with each other. "Oh, that was nice of you. Well, come on in, Ishida-kun."

Uryu accepted. As soon as he crossed the threshold, Uryu's senses went on alert. Inoue's home was so…inviting. It was warmer inside than out, and he could hear classical music floating from the main room throughout the flat. The curtains were drawn to let in natural light, which was bright considering the blue-sky weather. But what called out to the Quincy the loudest was the sweet, tantalizing aroma emanating from the kitchen.

Before he could comment on it, however, Orihime spoke.

"Why don't you lay out the supplies, Ishida-kun? I'll get some sweets." Orihime said, smiling. And sensing that Ishida was about to politely decline, she continued. "I made a lot of extra, so I really insist."

With that, the girl disappeared into the kitchen. Uryu, not knowing what else to do, heeded her suggestion and began to unpack the shopping bag. The teen had only just set out the balls of yarn and a new pack of knitting needles when he heard a loud gasp from the kitchen.

"Ulquiorra, stop!"

Uryu was to his feet in an instant. He dashed to the kitchen entrance, his hands positioned to activate his Quincy Cross at the first sign of trouble. But when he entered, it was not a full-grown Espada attacking a horrified Orihime. Instead, Orihime had her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face. She was staring down at the island-top. Following her gaze, Uryu was confused at first because he didn't know what to make of the scene. A large beach towel covered the surface. Divided into piles were various candies, and Uryu had only ever seen so much in one household at Halloween. Amongst the mini wonderland of sweetness was a bowl of muddy-looking water. And kneeling, waist deep in the water was the miniature Murcielago.

Ulquiorra was looking up at Orihime with innocent green eyes, as he had no clue as to what he'd done wrong.

"Inoue-san…what's…?" Uryu trailed, hesitantly relaxing his offensive stance.

"Ulquiorra…" Orihime began. She leaned forward to see Ulquiorra at a more even level. "You _did not_ just drink all of that bath water, did you?"

Oh. Was that all she was upset about, Ulquiorra wondered. His expression settled into his old nonchalant mask. "If you did not intend for me to drink it, woman, you should not have offered it to me so fervently."

Orihime sighed and smacked a hand to her forehead in exasperation. But she actually laughed a bit, though it sounded like the tired, reminiscing chuckle of a wise elder who'd just witnessed the actions of a blissfully ignorant child. "I repeatedly told you, Ulquiorra, it was supposed to be a chocolate _bubble bath_. You're not supposed to drink what you bathe in, it's unsanitary!"

"It was _chocolate_, woman. Therefore I had the right to indulge myself." Ulquiorra countered, folding his arms defiantly. What could he say? He, apparently, had what Inoue called a 'sweet tooth', after all.

"Erm…Inoue-san? Is something wrong?" Uryu cut in. Even though he now knew there was no danger, Ishida was still naturally weary toward the little bat. But this whole talk of chocolate and bath water was throwing him from the loop, and for some reason he didn't like the feeling.

As if suddenly remembering she had company over, Orihime's eyebrows flew upward and she instantly turned her attention to the navy-haired Quincy. She rubbed the back of her head with one hand and laughed her oh-how-silly-of-me chuckle. "Oh, I'm sorry Ishida-kun. It's just that I was trying to make this spa day really special for Ulquiorra but he has absolutely no self control when it comes to sweets. I came in here to get some for us and I found him gulping down mouthfuls of his chocolate bath water! Isn't that silly? I keep trying to explain to him that not everything in the human world is meant to be consumed but he's just as stubborn as before!"

"Woman, my patience is wearing thin." Ulquiorra began to defend as he stood up in the bowl. The water only reached his shins whereas before it came up to his waist. "_I_ keep trying to explain to you the illogical use of delicacies for any other use than sustenance. Humans are so wasteful, using perfectly delectable chocolate to clean themselves with."

Orihime opened her mouth to retaliate and explain that baths were used for relaxation, not just for hygiene. But then she stopped. What was she doing, arguing with Ulquiorra? It was just like back in her cell in Hueco Mundo. Back then, when she was in one of her defiant moods, she would always find some way to disagree with Ulquiorra. She didn't do it because she enjoyed provoking him—oh, Ulquiorra wasn't even easily provoked so it was usually a moot point. But she'd always just wanted to get him to express some sort of emotion. Some sort of feeling. Some sort of sign that he wasn't just a hollow robot created by a man with a power complex. Orihime recalled the brief periods of time in which she wasn't reminiscing about her friends and instead played out what it would be like to interact with Ulquiorra in such a way. Sure, it was a mental challenge to picture his face holding any sort of expression. To imagine his voice pitched in any other tone than nihilistic.

But as of late, Orihime found that she discussed many things with the green eyed male. At first, she mostly tried to educate him on the things in life that you couldn't just read about. She did her best to be comprehensible, especially at the first signs of Ulquiorra actually being attentive. After all, Ulquiorra was still Ulquiorra, and the Ulquiorra she knew never did fancy her overactive imagination. But soon Orihime noticed that even when she did wander into random topics (like chocolate bath water), the Cuatro didn't criticize her as he used to. Instead, he seemed just as enthralled listening to her rambling. Yes, Ulquiorra was changing—though Orihime couldn't put her finger on how or why—slowly but surely.

And the thought that they were actually arguing over chocolate bath water right now was what had Orihime clutching her sides and shaking in laughter.

"Inoue-san?" Uryu watched as the girl tried to regain control. Ulquiorra did as well. But rather than confusion, his expression held mild surprise and even some amusement. He was lost on the sudden mood change, but was also intrigued by the way Inoue's face morphed when she laughed. The sound itself was foreign but far from unpleasant.

Orihime's trembling finally began to subside and she wiped at her eyes. "I," she giggled and tried again, "I'm sorry Ulquiorra. You're right. This is your spa day so you should enjoy it how you want to."

The little bat blinked once. O…kay? Then he turned to look at the mountains of candy that awaited him outside his 'bath tub'. There were piles and piles of what he'd come to recognize as Starbursts and Now & Laters. Ropes upon ropes of Twizzlers. Pyramids of Jolly Ranchers and crowds of Gummy Bears. Stacks next to stacks of Reese's and Hershey Bars. Then, he noticed that Inoue had taken the time to set up a walkway lined with towering candy canes and scattered peppermints. At the end of the walkway was another large bowl. Ulquiorra's craving was already kicking into overdrive, but curiosity won him over. Ulquiorra now hoisted himself up and out of the 'bath', stopping briefly to dry his talons on the towel beneath them. He ignored the residue that still trickled down his legs and walked forward.

When he reached the end of the trail and came upon the mystery bowl, Ulquiorra wasn't sure what he was expecting. Another bath, perhaps, this time of honey? No. Instead, when peering over the edge, Little Bat's eyes grew wide as they took in the assortment of M&Ms, Skittles, Smarties, Jelly Beans, and Candy Corn.

Something in Ulquiorra was about to burst. But, with years and years of practice, he expertly restrained his urge to forget all rationality and just act on instinct.

Orihime, who'd been carefully watching his reactions as he appreciated the mini Wonka Factory, now perked to attention as the small head turned to face her.

"Is all of this for me?"

Orihime beamed. "Of course silly! I mean, you shouldn't eat it all at once of course. And I know a spa is supposed to be relaxing and that a sugar high is, like, the exact opposite. But I figured this could be your own personal version of a spa. I admit; I had no idea you loved sweets so much and I was obviously surprised, but I think it's great that your taste buds are just like a human's! I mean, hollows are supposed to thrive on consuming souls so I always doubted that you guys ate normal food, but I guess I was wrong. I just hope you don't get cavities like a normal person does, because that would be terrible!"

Uryu Ishida, who seemed to have faded totally into the background for the past couple of minutes, was again at a loss for words. It seemed to be happening to him a lot while around Inoue lately. Sure, he was used to Orihime's babbling. But that bubbly personality hadn't been seen since before her abduction to Hueco Mundo. And for it to show now, toward the one who'd abducted her? He couldn't make any sense of it.

He also couldn't make sense of the trance-like state he found Cifer in when he glanced at him. The Murcielago's melancholic gaze seemed even more distant than what he remembered from their fight on the roof of Las Noches. The Cuatro eyes were fixed on Orihime throughout her whole dialogue. But if Uryu didn't know any better, he'd say it was almost as if the Arrancar were daydreaming.

_Yeah, right._

But then again…Ulquiorra was presenting a lot of contradictions to his previous persona. Maybe, Uryu thought, the Espada would continue to shock him.

* * *

_*~UlquiHime~*

* * *

_

It had been two weeks since Mayuri Kurotsuchi's 'failure' to resurrect the fourth Espada of Aizen's army. And for two weeks, Nemu Kurotsuchi kept her smuggling of the Cuatro out of Soul Society a secret from her master. Now, two weeks in the Soul Society was nothing but a millisecond in the realm's time span. But for Nemu to keep anything hidden from her 'father' for even a millisecond was a miraculous feat on her part. She knew that if it weren't for Mayuri's intense focus on finding another specimen, she probably wouldn't still be standing in one piece right now.

It's not that Nemu was afraid of her captain. Did she enjoy being ripped mercilessly apart? No. Would she ever have dared to defy him if it weren't fighting for something she strongly believed in? Of course not. Nemu was actually amused by her instantaneous decision to help the helpless creature. She'd never been compelled to act on her own. Well, except for those times when helping the Quincy Ishida, which she still wasn't sure as to why she'd done so. Nemu Kurotsuchi wasn't even paranoid over the idea of Central 46, the higher ups, discovering her treason and punishing her.

Rather, Nemu was focused on Little Bat. She knew he was in good hands, but she wondered how near the day was when he would return to being a threat. She knew she would have to kill him then, but the question was whether she would have the heart to do so.

'The heart'…Wasn't she supposed to be a modified soul? She wasn't supposed to have a heart. And yet…

_Bang!_ "Nemu!"

Snapping out of her reverie, Nemu blinked. She'd been leaning against the wall outside the lab room, where Mayuri had been working on reviving his newest specimen. He hadn't wanted her help because he'd assumed the screw up last time was her fault. So she'd been ordered to "shut up and wait outside" for further instructions. Now though, she was being yanked up from the floor by her braid by the painted-faced captain himself.

"You touched something didn't you! You meddled with the equipment when I specifically told you to stay out!" the wild-eyed captain spat accusingly.

"No, Kurotsuchi-sama." Nemu answered calmly. At times like this, it was best to say the least and let the man get his rage out of his system. Unfortunately, the captain wasn't so 'forgiving' this time. Nemu next found herself being dragged by her hair into the lab and directly over to the Manipulation Chamber.

"It should've worked this time!" Kurotsuchi ranted. "The sample wasn't even dust, he was a full being! Sure he practically dead, but he was whole, damnit! So how the hell did _this_," Mayuri shoved Nemu's face against the glass, "happen!"

Nemu, after getting over the initial discomfort, observed the tank's contents with slightly bewildered green eyes. The liquid was turquoise rather than default red. And floating inside was a little, sleeping feline creature. It was curled in the fetal position, like a cat, and Nemu couldn't make out its hidden face. But she did note its white-clad appearance. Its whip like tail brought déjà vu upon Nemu, but what was really shocking was the outrageously bright-blue mane.

Kurotsuchi scowled, releasing Nemu as his anger was finally redirected. It seemed he took Nemu's silence as a testament to her ignorance. "There is no doubt in my mind that someone has tampered with my equipment, and I swear I will find that person and personally mutilate them limb by limb! Nemu, I will do the same to you if this _thing_ is not gone by the time I return!"

And with that, Kurotsuchi was gone, once again leaving Nemu to dispose of his failed experiment. Nemu sighed. Definitely déjà vu. And Nemu already knew she had no intention of destroying this 'failure' as well. Now all that's left, Nemu thought as she crossed the room to the oversized printer, was for the poor thing to wake up.

Nemu waited: her attention on the charts that were spitting out vital readings. Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, another soul was stirring. Blue eyes cracked open.

_What the…where the hell…?

* * *

_

**A/N: **"Finally, she updates!" :O


	12. Belligerent

**Beauty and the Bat**

**Step 11: Belligerent **

**A/N: **This chapter could also be called "Miniature" for obvious reasons. Anyway, yay, a quicker update! (Sorry it's shorter than I wanted it to be.) Thanks to those of you who bear with me. I adore you all.

_TwilightAnimeLover21~~ _Nope, I'm as alive as ever ^^ Even more so knowing somebody actually reads my work! Thanks for your patience. :D

_Lilac Rose6~~_ I'm glad, and I KNOOW! Chibiness is so Kawaii! :D And thanks you all for reading the author's notes. See? Sometimes they're actually more than just ways to boost the word count. XD

_All the GrimIchi fans reading this (there are more than I thought! :O )~~ _I was considering it… But I think I'll save it for the next series (oops, a spoiler!) and keep this one focused on UlquiHime. ^^ Look for it in the future!

**Warning:** More profanity and most likely vulgarity in upcoming chapters, thanks to a certain…'grim' kitten. (Hence the change in rating.)

**Disclaimer:** Tite Kubo owns _Bleach_. I also do not own the lyrics posted in each chapter. They give me my inspiration while writing, so please listen to them. :D

* * *

_*~UlquiHime~*_

_~I've gone for too long living like I'm not alive. So I'm going to start over tonight, beginning with you and I. When this memory fades, I'm gonna make sure it's replaced with chances taken; hope embraced. ~ Miracle by Paramore

* * *

_

Kisuke Urahara was rendered speechless for the first time in over a hundred years.

His face was shadowed by his hat as usual, but in the darkness his gray eyes were widened slightly. He couldn't believe this. Oh, wasn't fate funny? He could've burst out in laughter. But he, as well as a human Yoruichi, was too busy accepting their latest revelation and trying to figure what to make of it. Said 'revelation' was tromping around the coffee table and yelling incomprehensible strings of profanity at the top of his miniature lungs. With black clawed hands, he was clutching his head and tugging at the roots of his powder-blue tresses.

"That fucking clown is just as bad as that bitch Szayel-Aporro! I swear I'll freakin' blow his damn brains out with Gran Rey Cero! That son-of-a-whore thinks he can get away with this! Bullshit! I'll show him!"

Kisuke sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. The minified Sexta Espada had been ranting like this since Nemu showed up with him in hand.

The shop owner had been enjoying his Saturday of little business and a lot of time to reminisce with Yoruichi on the good old days: back when the Soul Society was only on their backs for the creation and experimentation of the Hougyoku and _not_ for giving hospitality to the enemy on top of that. Yeah, those were the days. But the calm Saturday morning atmosphere struck a solemn note upon the arrival of an unregistered Hell Butterfly. It had announced the crossing of Nemu Kurotsuchi through the Senkaimon, stating her reason was urgent. By the time the ex-Shinigami descended into the training room below the shop, Nemu was already exiting the makeshift portal and skidding to a stop.

"Why, hello there, Kurotsuchi-san!" Urahara had greeted with a tilt of his striped hat. "To what do I owe the pleasure today?"

Nemu had been stone-faced as she pulled her cupped hands from her bosom, holding them out to Kisuke. The pale-blonde quirked an eyebrow at the swearing that immediately reached his ears.

"Damnit woman, you tryin' to smother me? I thought you said you were _against_ that fucking clown!" was all Kisuke caught flying from the small, fanged mouth. But it was enough for Urahara to gather—from Ichigo's description of him—that the miniature, panther-like creature was none other than the Sexta Espada: Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez.

And ever since then, Grimmjow had been cursing Mayuri Kurotsuchi. But now, finally, someone decided it was time to put a leash on the feral beast.

"That's enough, Grimmjow." Yoruichi said sternly. In her human form, she sat cross-legged next to Kisuke, across from Nemu. Her arms were folded over her well endowed chest, and she wore her usual sleeve- and backless black undershirt with the usual black stretch pants. Yoruichi's black fur was now long purple hair pulled up into a ponytail, but her eyes were still intelligent pools of gold.

"Listen lady, I'm not taking orders from you." Grimmjow rounded on her. Though, the intimidation intended for the action wasn't affective considering his size. Realizing this, Grimmjow growled. "Just tell me how to get my body back so I can beat that fucking clown to a bloody pulp!"

"Grim Kitty, please calm down." Nemu spoke calmly. "Your frustration is understandable, but you need to lower your tone before you're discovered."

"'Calm down'!" Grimmjow shouted in his slightly-higher-than-usually pitched voice. Through his anger he failed to register the moniker Nemu had already christened him with. "How can I fucking 'calm down' when—!"

"_Grimmjow_."

Three pairs of eyes shifted to the shop owner, who hadn't spoken until now as he tried to make sense of the situation. Urahara's interruption hadn't been a yell, but his voice held all the authority and warning of a man who held the power here. The tone pissed Grimmjow off even further, but the nearly-threatening gleam in the large man's shadowed eyes reminded him of Aizen's 'warning' glares, and he shut up. The last time Grimmjow dared to rebel against that gaze, he'd lost an arm, and he really came to appreciate having the limb back since then.

Thanks to Orihime Inoue.

The memory of that pale, auburn haired girl temporarily shifted Grimmjow's train of thought as he came up with an idea. _Dumb ass!_ He couldn't believe he'd been too blinded by rage to see the obvious solution right in front of him.

"Get that Inoue-chick over here!" Grimmjow demanded. He folded his arms, making prominent the blades that protruded from the forearms of his armor-like attire. "You can't tell me she doesn't know how to fix this!"

"I'm afraid that is exactly the case." Kisuke replied evenly, his expression unchanging.

"What did you say!"

Yoruichi now sighed in exasperation and leaned forward, propping an elbow on her knee and resting her chin in her palm. She should've known the Cuatro's appearance wasn't the end of the drama: now they had the belligerent Sexta to deal with. As least Cifer had been cooperative; Jaegerjaquez wasn't even _attempting_ to listen to reason. Still, she had to try. "Listen, Grimmjow. Orihime can reverse injuries—as I'm sure you know—but she can't heal something like smallness. You'll just have to wait for—"

"Fuck that!" Grimmjow interrupted, storming across the table toward the woman. "An' who're you calling small! I can take you on no matter how damn—!"

"_Grimmjow!_" Kisuke repeated even more forcefully. Grimmjow froze in his step and whipped his deathly glare up at the male. But once again, the threads of profanity were caught in his throat. He couldn't help it. Grimmjow was never one to respect authority, but there was just something about this guy and that bastard Aizen that choked him as if a collar was being tightened too hard around his neck.

"I would appreciate it if you kept the cursing to a minimum." Kisuke said much more softly, even smiling a bit, causing Grimmjow to mentally shudder. "After all, there are children in the house. I wouldn't like Ginta or Ururu to pick up any bad habits."

Realizing the man was taunting him; Grimmjow broke free of his mental grip and growled, raising a dark fist. "Listen, you—AH! What the hell are you—!"

"But _I __**would**_ like to finish what I was saying." Yoruichi said, who grinned maliciously as she dangled the Pantera from his scruff. Being half a foot tall and low on reiatsu, the Sexta couldn't do anything but kick his pawed feet, shake his fists frantically, and swear for her to put him down—to which she happily didn't comply. "_You'll just have to wait_ for your body to replenish its own energy. Eventually you'll have enough spiritual power to return to normal…well…to a relative normal at least."

"'Relative normal'? What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Grimmjow demanded. But because he was still light-headed from his lack of reiatsu, though he wouldn't dare admit it aloud, he was beginning to feel the weariness set in. Reluctantly allowing his body to go limp to preserve the energy he had left, Grimmjow sent Yoruichi the most menacing glare he could muster. "And put me down already, damn it."

"What she means is that the only 'cure' for your condition is time." Kisuke answered, pointedly sending yet another warning glance to Grimmjow. The Sexta merely huffed—suddenly feeling very drained of all previous liveliness—and folded his arms as he turned his head as far in the opposite direction as he could. "For now," Urahara continued, "you need to stay in the human world. I mean there isn't really any other option, now is there?"

Grimmjow had to admit that the man was right. Even if he somehow managed to create a Garganta back to Las Noches, he'd have nothing to go back to. That bastard Aizen had undoubtedly flown the coop by now, and without him to dangle the Hougyoku's power over Hollow heads, the desert world was once again no-man's-land. This means every remaining Arrancar for him or herself. After all, Adjuchas had been perfectly capable of surviving long before Aizen showed up, so it's not like they needed a leader. And it's not like any of the Arrancar actually enjoyed being ordered around by an enemy: a Shinigami and a Captain, no less. Despite their obedience, not one of them had ever been wholly loyal to the man.

Well, Grimmjow could name one. But who knew where that green eyed robot was now? The last time the Sexta saw him, he'd been being swallowed up by Caja Negación.

Grimmjow sighed profusely as Yoruichi finally decided to set him back down on the table. Once again on his feet, Grimmjow shook himself to rid his body of the feeling of being man-, well, woman-handled. He deeply wanted to punish the woman for her actions, but he was simply too tired now. It was an effort just to stand up straight. The miniature Pantera pushed a clawed hand through his blue locks wearily and tossed an 'I just don't care anymore' glance up at Kisuke.

"Fine." Grimmjow surrendered, plopping himself down on the table with his legs crossed. The white tail that lined his spine curled naturally. "But I ain't sayin' I'm not gonna give you hell for this later. Just know this place had better be freaking entertaining, 'cause I tend to do crazy things when I'm bored."

With that and a lazier, toothier version of his maniacal grin, Grimmjow suddenly slumped over, asleep.

"I'm not surprised he fought it for this long." Urahara mused, whipping out his fan and hiding the tiny smirk of his mouth. Sure, this was a serious situation. Two Espada were now his responsibility unbeknownst to the Soul Society, as was Nemu's treachery a secret and Orihime's safety a priority. But well…things were no doubt going to be even more interesting from now on.

Urahara only wished he could be there to see the facial expressions as discoveries were made.

Kisuke watched as Nemu gently scooped up the slumbering Grimmjow to cradle him to her chest. Her face was stoic as usual, but the green portals that were her eyes revealed a tenderness that Kisuke would've never guessed was there. It caused Kisuke to question why this girl, who had no obligation whatsoever, would risk her _life_ to go to such lengths for her enemy. Kisuke knew Mayuri Kurotsuchi, his old friend and fellow scientist. And if there was one thing Mayuri would never do, it would be to allow his 'daughter' and creation to be a traitor. Just what had been going on in the 12th Squad Barracks since his banishment?

"Kurotsuchi-san, I have to admit I'm curious." Kisuke said from behind his paper fan. "You realize what you're getting yourself into, and yet you continue to dig a deeper hole. I'd love to hear how you plan for all this to turn out."

Nemu was quiet for a few moments, during which she glanced down at the sleeping form in her hands. Grim Kitty's released form was quite different than Little Bat's. The green markings beneath his now closed eyes extended to the tips of his catlike ears. The remainder of his Hollow mask sat as a type of headgear on his forehead. His untamed blue hair reached all the way down to the blades protruding from his calves, and his hollow hole was centered in his abdomen. Complimenting his rugged appearance was Grim Kitty's rebellious personality. Totally different from Little Bat.

But like Little Bat, Grim Kitty deserved to live.

"I honestly haven't planned ahead at all." Nemu finally replied calmly, causing Kisuke and Yoruichi to sweat-drop.

"Do you have any idea how long the restoration of their reiatsu will take?" Yoruichi inquired, to which Nemu also denied. Yoruichi sighed. "The young people these days can be so impulsive."

"Let me tell you…" Kisuke agreed, his mind automatically referring to a certain strawberry for example. For as long as he'd known Ichigo, the kid hardly ever thought logically when his mind was set on something. Perhaps the boy was rubbing off on other people in more ways than he thought…

Wait a minute…Oh…_Oh_…Whoa…Ichigo.

"Hey you, what's with that grin?" Yoruichi asked skeptically.

When Kisuke didn't finish his thought, Yoruichi thought it was odd. At a moment like that, he would've usually made a totally-unrelated-to-the-serious-topic-at-hand comment about his own youthful days…and then would've went on to pretend to be offended by Yoruichi's comment because he was 'still young and hip'. So when Shihouin glanced over at her friend, she'd been expected to find a solemn expression to signify his deep thinking—she'd even gone as far as to hope he'd suddenly came up with an insight. But no. Instead, his mouth was curled into a wide smirk that Yoruichi could see from this angle.

Urahara just realized this and so shifted the fan to hide his face from both women in his company.

"It's nothing, nothing at all." The shop-owner denied. But the amusement in his voice instantly gave him away.

"This isn't really the time to be keeping tidbits of information to your self, Kisuke." Yoruichi scolded. She slightly narrowed her golden eyes, which was something she hardly ever did toward Urahara. Which meant she was serious.

Kisuke peered at his dark skinned friend from the corner of his twinkling eye. "Hmm…" he judged the gaze he received in return. "As far as you know, Yoruichi, there are only six who know of Ulquiorra's stay in the Human World, including us. Correct?"

"That's right…" Yoruichi confirmed while quirking an eyebrow. For the past week and a half, she'd been keeping tabs on Inoue in her cat form and updating Urahara. So far, Tatsuki Arisawa and Uryu Ishida were the only two of the teen's friends who had seen the little bat. Although Inoue was undoubtedly edgy because of her protectiveness, the girl had done an otherwise fine job of keeping Cifer hidden.

"Well," Urahara continued. "I was only considering the pressure Inoue-san has been under for the past few months. And now she has the fourth Espada to look after." Kisuke lowered his head so that his mischievous eyes were shrouded in his hat's shadow. But his snake-like smile was still glinting.

"I was originally planning to send Grimmjow to Inoue as well. However, now I'm realizing that that may be a bit much to ask for, even from Orihime…"

The females were quiet, both waiting for Urahara's point. Grimmjow's faint and even breathing rippled the room's silence. Yoruichi folded her arms when Kisuke didn't continue. This time though, she couldn't resist a smirk of her own upon realizing that Kisuke was formulating a plan to make this all the more amusing.

"Just what are you getting at, Urahara?"

* * *

_*~UlquiHime~*

* * *

_

Urahara's plan to send Ichigo a little surprise was rejected. But realizing that his original plan could also prove entertaining, Kisuke happily shooed Nemu off in the direction of Inoue's apartment. Blissfully unaware of the coming drama, Orihime was now humming to the classical music floating from the stereo. She was just about finished knitting a green scarf for Ulquiorra.

Across the table, Uryu silently nibbled at a chocolate chip muffin. Apparently, along with the jackpot of candy, "'Hime's Home Spa" included a countertop of baked goods for the little bat. What the female had forgotten was that the Cuatro's stomach wasn't as large as it used to be, therefore he couldn't possibly eat everything she'd made. When Ishida pointed this out, Ulquiorra's expression of euphoria had deflated as he glared at the Quincy. Uryu wasn't sure why the observation bothered the Espada so much, but whatever the reason, he'd felt a strange sort of satisfaction knowing he could make the Murcielago frown.

Unfortunately, his smugness was smothered when Orihime jumped to console the disappointed Little Bat. Which was why Uryu was now sitting there, silent and staring at the window, as he grudgingly contemplated Inoue's growing feelings for Cifer.

Ulquiorra Cifer, who was, at the moment, sleeping in a cereal bowl.

Indeed. As soon as the teens left Ulquiorra to enjoy his spa day in peace, his blinding hunger was able to take over (seeing as Orihime wasn't there to keep his attention elsewhere). He'd flown up to the ceiling above the candy bowl, and then spiraled straight down into the sugary deliciousness. Heaven. He'd eaten his way right to the bottom of the bowl. By the time he was done, his craving had been fully satisfied for the first time. And rather than feeling the urge to bounce off the walls, all Ulquiorra wanted to do was take a nap. So he curled up right there—tummy full, chest warmed, Orihime at the foreground of his thoughts—and eased into a comfortable slumber.

Ah, Saturday.

Orihime smirked to herself as she finished the last stitch of the scarf. _I hope Ulquiorra likes it…_ she thought as she held it up for inspection. Coincidentally, the color was an emerald green, just like Ulquiorra's eyes. But for some reason, Orihime felt that the comparison didn't do Ulquiorra justice. After all, even if the color was a match, nothing could compare to the intensity of the vortexes that were Ulquiorra's eyes. Orihime realized this as soon as she'd returned to the world of the Living.

Every day of her prison life, Orihime had mourned the absence of color in the blank world of death. She'd missed the blue skies, the purple seas; the pink flowers, the green leaves. She hadn't missed red much, considering the surplus of bloodshed in Las Noches. But she always spent time to mentally embrace the colors of her home. And upon her return, she did so to every color of the rainbow.

Except green.

She'd hated green. Trees. Grass. Bushes. Flower stems. Cars. Clothes. Hairstyles. Anything within a certain range of green, she'd shied away from. She began to welcome her "house arrest" simply because she wouldn't have to see that _awful_ color. For weeks, though, she couldn't figure out why. Yet even when she did begin to have inkling, she wouldn't admit to the reason why she so despised the color green. Because she just couldn't understand why

Everything green was him.

No. Everything _period_ was him. Anything white was his ivory skin. Anything black was his ebony hair. Anything vertical was his perfect posture. Anything cold was his personality. Any place quiet was his presence. Every sound was his voice. Every rhythm was his footfall. Every breeze was his coming and going. And everything else was something he'd never see again.

At least, that's what Orihime told herself every minute until the moment he spited fate and appeared before her once again. Ever since _then_, anything and everything was something she'd have the chance to share with Ulquiorra. And ever since then

Green was her favorite color.

As he finished the muffin, Uryu's resolve was established. He would bluntly ask about Inoue's feelings for Cifer. Turning to the girl, he wasn't fazed by the soft smile that played on her lips and farsighted focus in his friend's eyes as she gazed at the mini green scarf in her hands. By now, Uryu know that Orihime's distant personality was a result of spending so much time alone in Hueco Mundo…and it was useless to wonder where her mind traveled.

"Inoue-san," Uryu started. Orihime's hazel lenses focused in again, as he expected they would, and locked on him. Uryu continued. "May I ask you something…personal?"

Orihime blinked, several emotions immediately circulating through her veins at the same time. Guilt: she'd forgotten Ishida was there. Embarrassment: she'd been daydreaming about Ulquiorra again. Giddiness: she'd been daydreaming about Ulquiorra again. Yearning: she wanted to go check on Ulquiorra. Curiosity: what could Ishida possibly want to know? Unease: even her friends rarely asked her anything seriously personal. And Uryu sounded serious. The last time anyone spoke to her with that tone of voice, Orihime ended up confessing her love for Ichigo to Rangiku Matsumoto.

Was Uryu going to ask if she still loved Ichigo?

Was Uryu going to confess _his_ love to _her_?

_That's silly, Orihime, _she told herself to quell the growing feeling of discomfort. _He likes Rukia, remember? Gasp! Maybe he wants to know if I think he has a chance with Rukia! How tragic! Doesn't he know Rukia likes Ichigo?_

_Wait…does she? Or does she like Renji? If she does, that's tragic too because her brother won't let them be together. It's like Romeo and Juliet! But then…where does that leave Ichigo, as Paris? And what about Uryu? But wait…if it's _me_ he likes, then of course I have to let him down gently. Because I already have Ulqui—_

Orihime gasped just as there was a knock at the front door.

"H…hold onto that thought, Ishida-kun." Orihime said quickly, just as swiftly getting to her feet. Her face felt warm, and she knew that she had to be blushing. Confusion: what had she just been thinking about Ulquiorra? Relief: whoever was at the door just saved her from a terribly awkward moment. Déjà vu: Ulquiorra had been about to ask her something earlier when Uryu showed up. Guilt: she never answered his question. Curiosity: what had Ulquiorra wanted to know? Special: it seemed like a lot of people wanted to ask her questions today.

Yanking open the front door without thinking to name the familiar reiatsu, Orihime was surprised to find Nemu Kurotsuchi on her doorstep. Her mind briefly remembered the Friday night a couple of weeks ago, and she was once again filled with compassion and gratitude toward the girl in front of her. This was the woman who returned Ulquiorra to her, and for that Orihime would be forever grateful. Besides, with daylight rather than darkness in her background, Nemu was much more lovable.

"Kurotsuchi-san, hi! How are you today?" Orihime greeted brightly.

Nemu couldn't help but smirk in response. She knew that she now had a special bond—called Little Bat—with this human girl, and that connection was about to be deepened. "Hello Orihime Inoue. My systems are adequate. Are you functioning properly as well?"

Orihime looked confused for a moment, but then she started laughing. Nemu was just as literal as Ulquiorra had been when she first met him. "Yep, no malfunctions here." She winked at Nemu, who merely blinked in response, and continued. "Would you like to come in? I made sweets. Ishida-kun is here too. And Ulquiorra has wanted to see you again."

The lieutenant didn't move other than to open her mouth to speak. "Sadly I must leave, for my captain will be expecting me. Tell Little Bat that I will be back to visit him as soon as I can. For now though, I'm afraid I must ask you for another favor."

"I'd be happy to help!" Orihime beamed. Anything to help the person to whom she owed her restored happiness.

Nemu looked down to where, Orihime just noticed, she was cradling something to her chest. "Kisuke Urahara thought it would be best for you to look after Grim Kitty in addition to Little Bat. If it's not too much trouble of course."

"'Grim Kitty'?"

In retrospect, Orihime knew she shouldn't have been as surprised as she was. After all, if Ulquiorra had come back to her, she should've expected the rest of the universe's impossible to happen somehow too, right?

Still, Orihime was shocked to discover, when she leaned closer, Pantera—loud, malevolent Grimmjow—taking a cat nap in Nemu's palms.


	13. Caring

**Beauty and the Bat**

**Step 12: Caring**

_TheBeginingsEnd~~ _Just look up a picture of Grimmjow in his Pantera release. That's how he looks, only minified. XD

_Lilac Rose6~~ _Aw, thank you :3 And I know what you mean…But if you ask me, I'd say too many readers and viewers out there love Ulquiorra for Kubo-sama to not eventually wheedle him back into the series. Just like how Grimmjow is sure to show up somewhere because, seriously, he can't _still_ be lying there in the desert. D:

_Basia Orci~~_ Fear not, there will still be some Grimmichi interaction. It just won't be as pronounced until the coming sequel to this series. :D (Listen to me talking about a sequel when I don't even know how _this_ one will end…-_-")

**Disclaimer:** Tite Kubo owns _Bleach_. I also do not own the lyrics posted in each chapter. They give me my inspiration while writing, so please listen to them. :D

* * *

_*~UlquiHime~*_

_~Tiny heart, you're not by yourself. When will you open up for me? ~ Tiny Heart by Flyleaf_

* * *

True to her word, Nemu left almost immediately after carefully transferring Grim Kitty from her hands to Orihime's. She spared an illegible glance down at the poor creature before bowing in thanks to the teenager and disappearing. Orihime blinked at the lack of presence in front of her, her eyes still seeing the outline of Nemu's lowered head, before coming back to her senses and recognizing the dilemma she was left with. A dilemma by the name of Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez.

Now, don't get her wrong. It's not that Orihime had a _problem_ with the bluenette, per say. She remembered. Of course she'd been grateful to the Sexta when he'd rescued her from Loly and Menoly in Las Noches, and especially so when he'd taken her to where the dead Ichigo had been. But then…his 'saving' her involved killing Loly and Menoly. And as for the later deed: it had only been so he could fight Kurosaki to the death himself. It wasn't Grimmjow that Orihime disliked, but his methods. His violence and non-hesitation to physically assault others. Orihime understood that he was just a misguided soul, but there _had_ to be a line drawn _somewhere_ by his conscience.

Despite this, Inoue felt a bit guilty for judging the Espada and even fearing him after their minimal interaction during her whole imprisonment. Sure, she knew that not all the Espada could have a miraculous (and ironic) change of heart like Ulquiorra had. But she did believe that each of them held potential, and, if even by the slightest bit, Grimmjow held more potential than most of the other Espada she'd come across. What made Orihime so sure? Well. She dared _anyone_ to take a look at the slumbering Pantera in her hands right now and not consider him to have a soft side buried somewhere.

She wasn't a fool though. She was still praying to Kami that he wouldn't wake up any moment now because there was no telling how he would react to his surroundings. Grimmjow was still Grimmjow after all….That thought pulled her up short. What was she supposed to do with the Sexta? House him _and_ Ulquiorra? She was having trouble keeping the Cuatro hidden as it was, considering her friends' hawk-like gazes. It would only be a matter of time before the truth was revealed, and what would happen then?

Orihime's strife must have been evident on her face because upon her reentry into the main room, Uryu looked up at her, concern in his eyes. "Inoue-san, what happened? What's wrong?"

Orihime frowned slightly, but then sighed—her scowl melting away. She looked down, almost as if in guilt. In grudging admittance, she muttered, "I don't know what to do, Ishida-kun. Honestly, I don't."

Alerted by his friend's sudden decline in mood, Uryu set aside his pair of knitting needles and his previous questions regarding Cifer. He'd recognized the reiatsu of that female Shinigami—Nemu Kurotsuchi—at the door, and figured that something was up when she hadn't joined them in company. She'd been here on business, most like pertaining to Cifer, Uryu guessed. Had she done more research and finally come up with a conclusion to the Cuatro's…condition? That would be ideal, Uryu thought. Then they could finally do something to get Cifer away from Inoue—before the two became too attached and Uryu's fears were confirmed.

Or could it have been something else; did someone in the Soul Society find out about the entire predicament? That would mean Inoue was in trouble again. If so, the Quincy swore to physically assault Kisuke Urahara for not well securing Inoue's safety.

"I _knew_ this would happen!" Uryu snapped at his mental picture of a smirking Urahara. And that _stupid_ paper fan! One of Uryu's dark eyebrows twitched with barely contained anger, and his pale hands clenched into fists.

"Ishida-kun," Orihime inquired with raised eyebrows. Uryu had know a minified Grimmjow would show up without explanation? Why hadn't he said anything?

Uryu was standing up from his spot at the low table, straightening his clothes and pushing his glasses up on his nose. They caught a ray of light, as they always seemed to manage to do, and Orihime couldn't see the resolve in his eyes behind the glare. The Quincy huffed.

"Don't you worry, Inoue-san. I'll take care of this." Uryu said, advancing on her.

Orihime's hazel eyes widened and she instinctively cradled the slumbering Grimmjow closer to her chest. What was Uryu going to do? Attack Grimmjow? But why—he hadn't done anything wrong…well, okay, he'd done plenty of wrong. But look at him now, small and sleeping; defenseless! Surely Uryu had more pride than to attack cute little defenseless things. But then, he _had_ apparently done something to traumatize Ulquiorra…could it be that Orihime didn't know her friend as well as she thought she did? Had the reserved Quincy recently taken some sort of sadistic pleasure in torturing small creatures? How hadn't she noticed before!

"Please, Ishida-kun…" _if that's really your name!_ Orihime mused. She knew though that she couldn't possibly harm the alien while it wore the face of a close friend. If she could only lower its defenses somehow…

"No, Inoue-san. I have to do this." And Uryu strode right past her.

Orihime blinked, feeling like she had missed something. Grimmjow was in her hands now, so where was he going? "Um…what?"

"I'm going to give Urahara a piece of my mind. I'll get you out of this, Inoue-san, I swear."

Orihime didn't see why Ishida was getting so upset. It's not like she minded caring for Grimmjow all _that_ much. But before she could voice this, Uryu thanked her for the muffin and left. Thrown from the loop, Orihime looked down to share a shrug with Grimmjow…before remembering that he was asleep—and that he would've brushed the action of anyway. Orihime sighed. "Now, what am I going to do with you?" she mused, studying his form. It was odd to see him sleeping in this state; the same form she'd only ever seen him in during his fight with Ichigo.

"Who are you talking to?"

The female redirected her attention to the kitchen doorway, where a hovering Little Bat was rubbing his eyes. The Murcielago was thoroughly annoyed with the lack of Orihime's presence, though he wouldn't admit that to be the reason for his emergence from "'Hime's Home Spa". Rather, he told himself that the tugging at his conscience was his regained ability to sense spiritual pressure. And right now, several were playing with his senses as people moved near and away from the apartment. Two in particular had taken his interest though. One, of course, being Inoue's. But the other…

"What's that in your hands?" Ulquiorra asked, noticing what Ishida had failed to: Inoue was cupping her hands to her bosom. Flying closer, Ulquiorra found that one of his favorite places to be was already occupied by none other than the Sexta Espada.

"Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez?"

"He…I…yeah." Was what Orihime settled for. She wasn't sure why she sounded apologetic, or why she suddenly felt the urge to explain herself to Ulquiorra. What was there to be sorry for? And since when had she ever felt obliged to the Cuatro?

Ulquiorra was silent as he perched himself on Orihime's right shoulder—another favorite location of his. He stared down at the Resurrección-released Pantera, who was obviously unconscious. To be plain, Ulquiorra had forgotten all about the Sexta, despite it being he who had imprisoned Ulquiorra with Caja Negación. And the thing was that, at the moment, Ulquiorra held no specific emotion as he gazed down at the male who'd loathed him: nothing but the same indifference with which he always appraised the bluenette. Well…actually, he did suppose there was something bothersome about the way Inoue was holding Jaegerjaquez so carefully, but he also supposed it couldn't be helped.

"Nemu-san dropped him off a short while ago." Orihime said to the Cuatro. He hummed in response, the sound close to her ear. As she headed toward her bedroom at the back of the apartment, she felt the Murcielago grip the usual strand of her auburn hair as to not fall off. "I guess we'll just have to wait for him to wake up," she continued, sighing a bit. "Poor Grimmjow."

_Poor? Grimmjow? _Ulquiorra considered this with a blank face. Remembering the brute's temper and all-around disagreeable nature, Ulquiorra just couldn't see the Sexta as anything near "poor". Sure, Ulquiorra used to refer to the Sexta as trash on a regular basis, but Inoue's pitiful description just didn't seem to fit. He knew that Grimmjow himself would also beg to differ.

In her bedroom, Orihime looked around, trying to decide where Grimmjow would be most comfortable. Her hazel eyes wandered to Little Bat's Bachelor Pad, automatically considering the miniature Murphy bed. But what was she thinking—intruding on Ulquiorra's space like that? Cifer seemed perfectly content with his sleeping arrangements, seeing as how he went to bed there every night without complaint. Who was she to kick Ulquiorra out of his comfort zone?

Orihime sighed, thinking of only two places for Grimmjow to sleep where she could keep an eye on him. One: the tissue box on her nightstand that could be refurnished into a cozy bed…or two: her own pillow, the space near where she laid her head each night. A part of her immediately rejected the second option—this was the _Sexta Espada_; the man who hadn't hesitated to blow his own comrade to smithereens with a Cero. Orihime would be insane to allow such a madman anywhere near her precious imaginative brains!

But she also had to take into account the Pantera's pride. Would the Grimmjow she knew willingly sleep in a tissue box? No matter how well she gussied it up, she had a feeling that she knew what Grimmjow would say. Something along the lines of: _you want me to sleep in a fucking box of snot-wipes!_

When Orihime sighed again as she shuffled toward her bed, Ulquiorra felt the urge to speak. "What is distressing you so?"

Orihime was taken slightly off guard by Ulquiorra's perception on her mood, but she soon recovered and grinned.

"It's nothing important, Ulquiorra. But thanks for caring."

Ulquiorra blinked. Was that it? He _cared_ about Inoue? It would make sense, he considered, especially when he thought about his recent reactions. He often felt unsettled, and more than slightly annoyed, when he listened to her conversations from within the confines of her schoolbag. He found that he disliked being so close to her, yet unable to see or speak to the girl. And he was yet able to explain why, but he also disliked not knowing where she was or what she was doing for an extended period of time. He'd convinced himself that he was just paranoid about her being kidnapped again. It was a ridiculous explanation—after all, what were the odds of Inoue being put in the same situation? Still…it was comforting to know for sure that she was safe…

Did that mean he cared about her?

If so, that also explained why he caught himself thinking about her so often. Even when he was hyped on sugar, his subconscious would be straying to the chestnut and her recipes. When Ulquiorra reflected now, he realized that all of his actions lately related, in some way or another, to the human. And that growing feeling within him…was that his growing care toward Inoue?

He was already grateful and felt indebted to her. Would he have felt such a way if he didn't hold some sort of fondness for the woman? He couldn't remember ever having to consider his opinions of another being. Everyone and everything to him had been trash. He hated to remember that he'd even referred to Inoue herself as trash. But now? Well…he had to admit that he quite enjoyed basking in her presence each day and night. Did that mean he cared, or that he was what humans called a "stalker"?

Thinking it over, he decided it didn't matter, as long as his focus was on Inoue. Settling for this, Ulquiorra blinked and focused back on what Inoue was doing. Even from this angle of her face, Ulquiorra could see her reluctance as she also, apparently, made a decision. Ulquiorra watched in silence as Inoue gently laid Jaegerjaquez on her pillow.

Orihime bit her bottom lip, wondering if this would be okay. Even if it was Grimmjow…no, _because_ it was Grimmjow, having him in the place where she slept felt—to put it mildly—weird. But it couldn't be helped. She positioned him on what she thought to be the fluffiest part of the pillow and pulled the edge of her blanket up to cover his small form. She appraised her work.

_I never would've guessed that I'd be tucking in __**Grimmjow**__, _she mused. _I've never seen him so…calm. And in that form, he looks just like a little kitten—a weirdly mutated, undead kitten, but a kitten nonetheless. _Orihime couldn't help but smile. _I wonder if he changed at all, like Ulquiorra did. Oh! And I wonder if he has a sweet tooth, too! That probably wouldn't be good; I can't even imagine what a hyper Grimmjow would look like…_ But her mind conjured up one anyway. The miniature ball of bright blue energy would be laughing maniacally—as she remembered him doing—as he ran around, knocking over vases and lamps. He'd climb the drapes and bounce on the sofa and dart around the coffee table. Around and around and up anything he could climb until he would finally run into something, curse the world, and fall asleep.

It actually sounded like a typical Grimmjow, but Orihime couldn't help but giggle when the image reminded her of a hyped-up Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra, at the moment, was still observing Inoue's facial expressions. He wondered what she was thinking about, as he'd come to recognize that vacant gaze as her mind's wandering. What really intrigued him was that she'd been staring at Jaegerjaquez for a few minutes now, and she even smiled. Why she would smile at the Sexta, Ulquiorra wondered. What had Jaegerjaquez ever done to be worthy of such a privilege? But most importantly, what was Inoue thinking, allowing the brute to lie on her pillow?

Just then, Inoue clapped her hands together, interrupting Ulquiorra's thoughts. He blinked, realizing his stare had somehow strayed down to Jaegerjaquez. He turned his attention back to the girl, feeling somewhat guilty for breaking the contact.

But Orihime just beamed down at Ulquiorra like she'd been doing before Jaegerjaquez's arrival. "So, Ulquiorra, how about we go clean up, then watch a movie?"

"Movie?" the curious Little Bat perked up, instantly forgetting about the Sexta and questions about Inoue's mood change.

* * *

_*~UlquixHime~*_

* * *

After a movie he didn't really understand and a "dinner" of leftover candy, Ulquiorra found himself sitting on the edge of Inoue's nightstand. Small but intense green eyes stared down at the slumbering Grimmjow, who hadn't awakened once, but had curled up into a very feline-like position. Ulquiorra felt bothered. It wasn't because someone other than his self was invading Inoue's private space, though that was part of it. Rather, Ulquiorra was inexplicably unsettled because of Inoue's decisions.

Yes, he'd figured that she probably thought it was for the best. And sure, Jaegerjaquez was harmless when he was out like this. But what could she do with him when he woke up, bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and ready to take vengeance?

Speaking of which, Ulquiorra wondered what Kurotsuchi was expecting from Jaegerjaquez anyway. From what Inoue had told him, the Sexta had still been alive, even if only barely, before everything went down on the roof of Las Noches. What sort of experiment had the scientist been testing that could involve a live subject? Brainwash? If so, that would explain why Ulquiorra felt the Kami-forsaken cravings and foreign urges around Inoue. Indeed, brainwash would explain _a lot_. Especially the strange dreams he'd been having for the past few days…

"Ulquiorra?"

He raised his head and swiveled it in the direction of his favorite voice. Entering the room was Inoue, fresh from the bathroom. She wore a set of baby-blue pajamas and was drying her long hair with a white towel.

"Over here." Ulquiorra voiced. His tail curled at the sight of her.

Hearing his voice from the unexpected direction, Orihime paused in her ministrations and looked up. Hazel eyes searched until she finally spotted him sitting next to the tissue box of her nightstand. As soon as she did, she smiled. Oh, how easily she smiled for him lately.

"Has he woken up at all?" she asked. As she approached the bed, she finished drying her hair before tossing the towel into the corner near her closet, where a hamper waited.

Ulquiorra just shook his head. He was too focused on the way Inoue's mused hair framed her face. The shower had left the locks thick and curly, and the rapid towel-dry turned them into a frizzed mess, but Ulquiorra couldn't care less. Rather, he appreciated the fact that attention had been drawn to her hair's riveting color. He doubted her friends ever stopped to admire the uniqueness of her mane, and he took the pleasure of doing so whenever he could.

The teenager sighed, and Ulquiorra watched in silence as she carefully climbed into bed. "Well then, I guess we'll see about him tomorrow." She said, crawling under the covers. "Maybe Ishida-kun will have calmed down by then so he could help in some way. I wonder, what happened to him, anyway?" Inoue covered her mouth but didn't quite block a yawn. She then rubbed her eyes sleepily, and Ulquiorra wondered if preparing the spa was what caused her fatigue.

Which reminded him…shouldn't he thank her for all she'd done? She'd prepared it all out of the goodness of her heart, after all. It was quite amazing to see her take him into such consideration after just two weeks of living together. And he'd briefly wondered if she was only pretending: caring for him would mean saving her own hide. If that had been the case, any thanks would've been misdirected. But no, no, that was wrong. He still hadn't figured the girl out, and he doubted he ever would. However, he'd observed her enough to know that her concerns were genuine, and that she probably wasn't even capable of feigning compassion without making the hoax obvious.

This meant that she did, truly and genuinely, care about him.

So, he realized, he could thank her—which he felt was appropriate—without doubting of her intentions. And never mind that the only person he'd possibly ever thanked had been Aizen. He was reborn (sort of), and his many newfound expressions were proof of his change in demeanor. So being openly grateful about something shouldn't come as a surprise. But along with thanking her, Ulquiorra also wanted to ask Inoue _why_. _Why_ did she care for him the way she did? What was it she'd originally seen in him to believe he could change?

And while he was at it, he could finally ask her about his latest development in the emotions' department.

"I am curious about something, woman." Ulquiorra began confidently, thinking he would finally receive some answers. His eyes roamed to her face. He expected her to light up, as she did whenever he voiced his curiosity, presumably because she was proud that he would ask her questions. But rather than an enthusiastic response of encouragement, he was met with the portrait of sleeping beauty.

Ulquiorra felt something within him slow to a stop. He was a little disappointed by the lack of answers (once again), but it was okay. Everything was fine because this sight calmed him like no other. Inoue was safe before him, the gentle rising and falling of her chest a reassurance. She was alive. Her heart was beating. And that's when Ulquiorra realized that yes; he did feel some sort of deeper connection to the girl. Slightly shifting his gaze to Jaegerjaquez, he knew what it was. Jaegerjaquez was a reminder of all things in Hueco Mundo and the like who could harm Inoue. And even though he knew she could hold her own, he realized that he felt a sort of…protective…_responsibility_ for the girl.

Yes; that was it. He was responsible for her. Because he owed her. He owed her everything he'd gained since his resurrection. As for his life itself…well, he felt he owed that to Nemu Kurotsuchi. He'd have to pay both of them back somehow.

_For now though…_ Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes at the oblivious Jaegerjaquez. The Sexta was far from a threat, but Ulquiorra at least saw this as another satisfying reason for wanting to sleep by Inoue, should she ever find out and question his motives. Little Bat stood up from his perch and, using his wings to steer, descended to Inoue's pillow. Of course, it wasn't as comfortable as his usual place on Inoue's chest, but this way, he would serve as a wall between Jaegerjaquez and Inoue.

Now that he recognized his role as protector, he would allow nobody else to get too close.

The Cuatro sat cross-legged on the pillow, facing Grimmjow. He could feel the fan of Orihime's hair ticking his wings, and his tail curled. He could hear both of them breathing. Had it just been Orihime, Ulquiorra would've been able to drift into a peaceful sleep. But the thought that Grimmjow could possibly awaken at any moment kept him on alert. Ulquiorra sat still, his small back straight enough to make any soldier jealous. Twin emeralds stared intently at the Pantera, as if daring him to make any sudden movements. Encouraged by Orihime's glowing reiatsu behind him, Ulquiorra remained at attention until the next day's sun sat comfortably over Karakura.

It was almost noon before the princess roused. She wasn't surprised to find that he'd awakened before she did as usual. But upon further observation of his stiff pose, she concluded that he must've been up for some time—if not all night—to guard her. She didn't hesitate to tell him how thoughtful it was to do so.

"It is simply my duty, woman." He responded honestly, but Orihime just thought he was being humble as always.

To start the day, the teenager settled on making a simple brunch of bean paste toast for herself and chocolate chip cookies for Ulquiorra. Just in case, Orihime decided to make an extra batch for Grimmjow. She wasn't yet sure if he had a sweet tooth, but she figured she couldn't go wrong with chocolate chip. Getting out of bed, she performed her usual stretching routine before sliding into her Chappy the Bunny slipper. It took a rub of her head to realize her hair was still a mess, and her immediate thought was to untangle the symbol of her trust in Tatsuki. (After all, wasn't Orihime the one lying to her friend about "Little Bat"?) But before she made a move for the bathroom, Orihime turned to look back at the mini arrancars on her pillow.

Ulquiorra, who was getting up to follow, met her gaze instantly as he sensed her hesitation. "Is something wrong?"

"Not really," Inoue started, "It's just…should we really just leave him there? We don't know when he'll wake up, or how he'll react…"

"You should not waste your concern on Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez." Ulquiorra replied. He ascended from Orihime's bed without a backward glance. He didn't continue to speak until he managed to perch on her shoulder without getting caught in her chestnut-colored birds' nest. "But if it eases your worry, you should know that given his amount of spiritual pressure, he'll probably awaken in an hour or so. He will be perfectly fine…for that long, at least."

Reassured, Orihime relaxed. "Yeah, you're right. He is Grimmjow, after all." She smiled, trying not to let the impending awkwardness ahead get to her, and headed for the bathroom.

Watching her comb her hair from the sink, Ulquiorra contemplated if and why thinking of Grimmjow once again caused the girl to smile.

An hour or so later found Orihime and Ulquiorra laughing in the kitchen. Well, only Inoue was laughing of course, but amusement lightly tugged at the corners of Cifer's much smaller lips. The two had been conversing over the most random topics, and somehow the discussion settled on the girl's most recent dream of being a shape-shifter. The Cuatro had pointed out Yoruichi Shihouin's ability in attempt to prove that were wishes were not entirely impossible. The girl responded by complimenting the feline species. This eventually resurfaced a memory from Nemu's visit, and Orihime told Ulquiorra about Grimmjow's christening of "Grim Kitty".

"It's incredibly fitting." Ulquiorra commented with a smirk. Indeed, the thought of the ever-prideful Sexta being addressed in such a manner made even the Murcielago want to chuckle at the absurdity. Orihime could only respond with another bout of giggles.

"It's like…" she tried to speak, still giggling. "'Oh no, look out! It's the great and terrible Grim Kitty, come to destroy us all with giant hairballs!'" she laughed with renewed enthusiasm at the mental image of a Godzilla-sized kitten with blue fur who spit cero-hairballs.

Ulquiorra, whose developing imagination was still on a much lower level than hers, was lost to the source of Inoue's entertainment. But there were two things he did know. One was that no matter how many times he heard it, he'd never tire of the sound of her laugh. The other was that, for some reason, he opposed the notion of her thoughts being on the Sexta for too long. Little Bat reluctantly shifted his eyes to the oven. On the stovetop, the chocolate chip cookies were cooling, and the teasing aroma was becoming annoying, Thankful to have a reason for topic-change, Ulquiorra spoke.

"Are the cookies ready yet, woman?" he asked. All this time, he'd been lounging on the kitchen's island as he watched the girl move around the room. But now, he stood up in preparation to fly and receive his chocolate chipped piece of paradise.

Orihime's mind was brought back to her apartment and her chuckling finally began to subside. Wiping away invisible tears of merriment, she smiled apologetically at the expectant Espada. "Oh, yeah… Sorry, Ulquiorra…" She approached the stove, focused on the task at hand. "They should be cool enough now."

Ulquiorra planted himself on her shoulder in silent anxiousness and, as if reading his thoughts, Orihime automatically handed him a cookie. She'd taken the size of his hands and mouth into consideration and made the cookies accordingly. Already with much practice in balancing on the girl's shoulder, Ulquiorra bit into the warm disk. It was moist but firm and he found that despite the small sample-size, his mouth felt full. The melted chocolate chip deliciously coated his tongue, and he marveled at the way its "almost-too-sweet"-ness complimented the slightly salty tasting dough. It didn't take Ulquiorra long to come to a conclusion: out of every mouth-watering, warm-making, mind-blowing, craving-satisfying delicacy in the Human World, chocolate chip cookies were, by far, the species' greatest achievement.

"You have to try them, Inoue." Ulquiorra said, sincerely in awe. He polished off the first cookie and hopped down to the tray, already anticipating the tastes of his seventh and eighth. But before he went to lose himself in ecstasy, the Espada held up a cookie in offering to the angel who'd made them.

Orihime was agape. They say there's a first time for everything, and she believed it. For this was the first time Ulquiorra openly complimented her home cooking. It was also the first time he'd blatantly offered to share his sacred treats with anyone. But most flooring—most difficult for her mind to comprehend—was the fact that, for the first time in her memory, Ulquiorra had just addressed her (to her face) as something other than "woman".

She knew it. She just _knew_ it. She'd known from that moment on the roof of Las Noches that he was capable of change. And she'd seen obvious signs in the past two weeks. But never had she predicted that he would be so open so _soon_. Ulquiorra, the cold robot whose aspect of death was "emptiness"…was now offering her a chocolate chip cookie. His eyes bore into hers with the eagerness and admiration of a child, their old callousness momentarily replaced with foreign warmth she hadn't noticed before. She doubted he even noticed how vulnerable he looked. Her surname had probably been a slip too. But it was proof that somewhere in his mind…somewhere in his _heart_…

He…what? What was that expression on his face? What was he thinking…what was he _feeling_ that could possible make _the_ Cuatro Espada, Ulquiorra Cifer, look up at her like that? Was the cookie that awe-inspiring? Could any food, no, any_thing_ she'd ever make in her life really be capable of such an event; worthy of such wordless praise?

She didn't think so.

But he was still looking up at her, offering the cookie. The unreadable stare was beginning to waver with familiar concern at her lack of response. She could hear the words forming on the tip of his tongue. _"What's wrong, woman?"_ She didn't want to hear it. She didn't want his worry for her well-being to destroy this fragile, precious moment. What's more, she wanted to relish in the memory of her name in his voice for just a while longer.

Quickly snapping out of her daze, Orihime beamed down at him, discouraging the Cuatro to voice his unnecessary concern. She carefully accepted the cookie, as if any sudden movement could also shatter the suspended atmosphere.

"Of course, I would love to try one, Ulquiorra." She said gently. She thoughtfully nibbled at the smaller-than-average cookie, trying to convey her deep graciousness with deliberate body language. She could only trust that, unlike most human males, Ulquiorra could decipher the energy waves she was emitting in his direction.

And he could, to some degree. He'd spent so much time analyzing her expressions and actions lately that it was impossible to not notice her air of affection. What he couldn't understand, though, was why his offering of a cookie _she'd made_ was so meaningful to Inoue. It was an insignificant act compared to all she'd given him. Maybe…she just appreciated his effort? If little actions like this were the sources of this gaze that filled him with such pleasant warmth, well, rest assured that he would be putting forth an even greater effort from now on.

Ulquiorra could feel the tingling throughout his torso. The sensation was becoming familiar, but he still couldn't name the feeling that was suddenly being intensified by the eye contact. It was so overwhelmingly pleasant that he was actually growing uncomfortable holding it in. He just felt like he had to _do_ something. But do what? What on earth could possible squelch this growing heat that threatened to consume him from the inside-out?

It felt as if he was drowning in her hazel pools. Pressure: on his chest; crushing him. His quiet breathing became labored. But he couldn't tell her that it felt as if his very _being_ ached because he just knew that if he opened his mouth now, his soul would ooze out and onto the cookies…the wonderfully damned cookies that began this whole prolonged moment in time. Ulquiorra felt lost; doomed to deal with this new emotion that threatened to overpower all sense of rational thought. Doomed…yet blessed because, if he died now, he knew it was because this sensation stemmed from and was fueled by Orihime Inoue.

Ulquiorra was frozen, staring up at Orihime, who, ironically, was oblivious to his internal distress. In reality, only seconds had passed, and Orihime was just finishing the cookie he'd given her. But what would've happened next, if the two had remained alone, is a mystery. Because just then. The indescribable atmosphere of the kitchen was interrupted by a force both of them should've expected, but ended up forgetting all about.

"Oi, what's that smell? I'm fuckin' starving over here."

And in walked the grim, kitty looking Pantera.

* * *

**A/N: **Yet another chapter ends with Grimmjow, and he wasn't even in this one! But don't worry; he'll be in the next. I'll post when I can, but I just got back from a convention and the screen's starting to swim… So 'm sorry 4 ne…uh…ummm…typos! Yesh, that's what there called…

Heheh…Ty'po. Or TIpo. Teepo. I should name my sun that...

~ Update when I'm not half-asleep in my chair, '786 -_-…zz


End file.
